


To Fight with Fire

by AmyTheWarlock



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), malec - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Malec, Mental Illness, Orphan - Freeform, Physical Abuse, Prison, Shadowhunters - Freeform, alec lightwood - Freeform, magnus bane - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23327662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyTheWarlock/pseuds/AmyTheWarlock
Summary: Meeting in a police station isn’t exactly the most romantic setting, thankfully, Alec nor Magnus believed it was either. Which was why they were taken by surprise when they suddenly found themselves falling head over heels for each other despite the pain that life had brought them so far… they had finally found where they belong, with each other.Who needs a family when you can make your own?
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Magnus Bane, Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood
Comments: 12
Kudos: 55





	1. Jean Valjean

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! 
> 
> I'm back! Hopefully for the long run! 
> 
> Just a warning for this fic, please read the tags before deciding whether you want to read this. It will touch on some sensitive and potentially triggering topics (e.g. mental illness, abuse) and the last thing I want is to upset anyone. If you do want to talk privately about anything feel free to message me on twitter (@malecmagic3), my ears/eyes are always open x 
> 
> On a lighter note, if you are enjoying this fic and have the urge to tweet along as you read it I'll be following #TFWFfic. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, 
> 
> Amy x

**_ To Fight with Fire  _ **

Meeting in a police station isn’t exactly the most romantic setting, thankfully, Alec nor Magnus believed it was either. Which was why they were taken by surprise when they suddenly found themselves falling head over heels for each other despite the pain that life had brought them so far… they had finally found where they belong, with each other.

Who needs a family when you can make your own?

Chapter 1: Jean Valjean

The wind whipped viciously around the young man’s face as he attempted to ignore the coldness and the rain that was making his white shirt practically see through. His feet hit the ground in cold hard slaps making him feel as though he was hardly moving at all despite the blurring of the streetlights only just entering his vision as he darted down ally way after ally way. His hand gripped tighter onto the plastic carrier bag that was becoming slippy from the rain, he couldn’t drop it, all of this would be worth nothing if he dropped it.

He stopped for a second, the sound of footsteps following him seemed further in the distance now and he knew he needed to gather his bearings, he’d been running in no direction for almost 15 minutes, he could be anywhere. He scanned his surroundings, tall buildings taunting him as though they knew he was lost, he took a deep breath, composing himself for a second, the footsteps and yells were getting closer now, he had to keep moving, no matter where he ended up. His eyes jumped between the two paths he could choose, he picked up his feet and started running down the ally way to his left.

“STOP WHERE YOU ARE!” A voice shouted from behind him.

He was kind of impressed, it sounded like the same policeman that had been chasing him from the beginning, they usually gave up after a few minutes especially when their perp was taking every turn that they could to lose him. Credit due where credits deserved. The young man was tiring now, he could feel himself burning out but he also knew how determined he was, this wasn’t his first run in with the police, in fact, if he got caught he knew it was his last chance, that’s what Detective Garraway had told him. The only solution was not to get caught, so he gritted his teeth and kept on running ignoring the aches and pains in his body until…

…The streetlights around him were no longer orange, they’d been replaced by the sound of sirens and the flashing of blue lights to police cars were surrounding him and he could hear the yells and footsteps from the ones on foot behind him. He looked around, debating whether he could make a run for it, but he knew defeat when he saw it, after all, defeat was his best friend. His feet rooted to the ground, his heart felt as though it could burst out of his chest at any time, he’d screwed up and he wasn’t sure where it was going to leave him. There was one thing he did know though, and that was that he wasn’t weak and that he would prove that for as long as he could.

“DROP THE BAG!” A policeman shouted from in front of him, his hand resting against the gun that was in his pocket.

Alec swallowed the lump in his throat and did what he was told. This whole situation seemed to have completely blown up considering what he had done, there was no need for two police cars and what six police officers? He recognised one of them as well, Olli? Was that her name? she was there the last time Detective Garraway picked him up, his new rookie, maybe she would cut him some slack, although he figured she didn’t exactly have the credentials to do that.

“WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” The same police officer asked. Clearly he was the one in charge, fittingly too, his jet black beard, beady black eyes, to most people he’d seem intimidating but he was pretty sure that when he went home he’d crack open a beer, kiss his wife on the cheek and go check on his children all tucked up in bed. Like most cops he was a teddy bear on the inside, nothing to be afraid of… of course, his power was something to be afraid of, but there was nothing he could do about that.

He chewed on his lip out of sheer habit before grinning slightly to himself, this could be his opportunity to make these cops look like idiots and maybe it wasn’t the smartest decision, but if he was going to spend the night in a jail cell he might as well make it worthwhile.

“Jean Valjean Sir,” he responded coolly.

“PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND ANSWER MY QUESTION PROPERLY.”

He raised his hands, trying not to laugh, he was grinding his gears and he couldn’t help but find it amusing, “Like I said, it’s Jean Valjean Sir.”

“THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!”

He rolled his eyes, “Jesus Christ, so tetchy… take a look in the bag. Find out what you’ve been chasing me for.”

The cop looked the boy up and down, surprised at his audacity to talk to him the way that he was. He was a scraggly looking kid, looked like he needed a good meal and a good wash, you wouldn’t pick him as the cocky type, not at all. “Olli, go check in the bag.”

The female cop, the one that he recognised approached him cautiously, a knowing look on her face telling him that she recognised him as well. She bent down and picked up the bag, taking out its contents. She sighed. “It’s a loaf of bread sir.” 

He smiled, “Like I said, the name’s Jean Valjean or you could call me prisoner 24601 but that depends on how seriously you’re going to take this crime.”

“Theft is theft,” the officer said, “TELL ME YOUR NAME!” His voice rose for the last half of his sentence, clearly this was too much for him. Not only had he been wound up to the ninth degree, but he’d just called for backup to arrest a kid for stealing a loaf of bread.

A car pulled up to the scene causing a stir amongst the cops around them, it wasn’t a police car, well it was, but it was undercover, like it always was. “Who called the detective?” The police officer said, clearly flustered at the arrival of more back up. 

Alec scanned the group of officers to find the weak link, instantly recognising Olli’s intent stare at the floor, she was the one who’d called for back-up and there was only one person that she would call. Alec nodded towards her in appreciation, perhaps unknowingly she’d given him a lifeline.

“What the hell is going on here?” The man from the new car said as he approached the group, “Why are there six of you here? There’s only one kid.” The man looked over at the _kid_ standing in the middle of the circle of cops, his hands still in the air, his shirt wet through, his whole body shaking from the cold. “For fucks sake Alec,” he groaned. 

“I was wondering when you’d turn up, Detective Garraway.”

* * *

Alec sat in the back of the detectives car, taking in the smell of the clean black leather and air freshener, he knew he was lucky that Detective Garraway, Luke, had turned up, he’d try to get him off with as light a punishment as possible, other cops didn’t care as much. That was the other side of the coin though, Luke did care, too much, yes he’d stolen a loaf of bread but Luke would want to know why, or how he’d ended up in that situation and he wouldn’t let up till he figured it out. It was expected though, an unspoken agreement between the two of them, Luke looked out for Alec, tried his best to keep him out of trouble and in return, Alec was as honest as he could be with him. Although usually it took a while for Luke to crack through his shell. Alec breathed out slowly, waiting for Luke to get in, he was exhausted and he’d only just realised as he suddenly felt like he could sleep for hours as he rested his head against the window, hugging his arms around him to try and stop from shivering. He looked and felt like a total mess and he knew he was in for a long night.

The car door opened, and Luke got in, his uniform wet as well from standing outside and reprimanding the cops that had escalated the situation to the point that it was at. He shivered to himself and turned on the heating before leaning back in the seat and glancing over at Alec. “You know you fucked up right?”

Alec nodded, “I don’t need a lecture.”

“I know you don’t,” Luke sighed, “I’m going to have to take you to the station, get you processed.”

“I know the drill.”

“Was it really worth it? A loaf of bread Alec, seriously?”

Alec shrugged, “I was hungry…” he trailed off, he wasn’t sure if he was ready for this conversation.

Luke looked at the boy that he wished wasn’t so familiar to him. Every time he’d picked him off from the streets it was for something stupid, stealing food, getting into a fight, trying to protect someone else, but also, every time there was a good enough reason behind his actions. The kid was half the size he was the last time he’d seen him, practically skin and bones, it was obvious he’s not been fed, his eyes were hollow, dark circles lining them and he was pretty sure he was in some sort of physical pain as well. Life just kept on dealing him the wrong cards and it didn’t seem fair at all, not for a kid like Alec who whilst justifiably angry at the world, was usually just trying to survive the best way that he could.

“Who are you living with?” Luke asked, reaching over to the glove box and handing Alec a granola bar and a packet of crisps. “We’ll get you something proper later on.”

Alec ripped open the granola bar and quickly devoured it then moved onto the crisps as Luke started driving away to the police station. “Just this dickhead,” Alec said between mouthfuls grateful for some distraction from the direction of the conversation.

“Is he actually a dickhead, or do you just think he is?”

The car went silent for a few seconds as Luke gaged Alec’s reaction through the wind mirror, “I think you know the answer to that.”

“Jesus Alec,” Luke said, his body draining slightly at the thought of Alec being put through yet another abusive home. No wonder he looked so tired, so withdrawn from society, no wonder he’d… “Were you running away?”

Alec nodded, his hand suddenly clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick, “Luke, I’m going-”

“-I’m on it,” Luke said, pulling up to the hard shoulder and unlocking the car door so that Alec could get out.

Luke stood behind him, his hand resting on Alec’s wet back as he threw up the food that he’d just eaten, this was worse than he thought. If his body was rejecting even the slightest bit of food it must have been ages since he last ate properly, he was half tempted to take him straight to the hospital, but he knew that wouldn’t go down well. There was only so much one kid could take in a night. 

“When was the last time you ate a proper meal?” Luke asked as he guided Alec back into the car.

“I don’t really know to be honest,” Alec said, taking the piece of gum Luke offered him, he could have sworn Luke had everything in that car of his, “Can we talk about something else?”

Luke nodded, that was enough questions for now. Alec was a tough kid; he could take most things, but he also knew that sometimes things were too much for him and that if he kept on pressing it would only lead to him breaking down. He’d seen that happen to Alec once before and he didn’t fancy seeing it again, never mind being the one to cause it. “You’re not going back to wherever you’ve been living Alec, I won’t let it happen.”

* * *

About an hour later and Alec was in the holding cell, everything hurt now, his legs, his arms, his back, his eyes, his mind… it was that point of the day where he finally got a chance to reflect, except their wasn’t anything positive to reflect on at all. If there wasn’t someone else sat opposite him in the cell, he was pretty sure he’d be crying right now, or shouting and screaming, he could never really tell which way it was going to go. He stood up suddenly from his seat and started pacing back and forth, partly to keep himself warm and partly to try and put his energy elsewhere before he exploded.

“Do you want my hoodie?”

Alec jumped slightly at the voice coming from the other side of the cell. He knew that he’d been watching him, but he hadn’t realised how intently, he was so wrapped up in his own mind that he’d kind of forgotten that judgement was a thing that existed. He turned around so he was facing his cellmate, he looked about his age which was surprising, usually he was the youngest in the holding cell by at least 5 years, his eyes were staring right back at him as if he was trying to communicate with him telepathically.

“Do you normally offer your clothing to complete strangers?”

The boy shrugged and pulled the hoodie off over his head, “I would if I was worried, they were going to get pneumonia.”

“And you’re worried I’m going to get pneumonia?”

“You haven’t stopped shivering since you got here. Take the hoodie, I can’t guarantee it’s all that fresh smelling, but maybe it’ll stop you shaking so much… you should probably take that wet shirt off first though.”

The boy threw the hoodie towards Alec which he caught deftly, “Thank you,” he said an air of caution about him. Befriending fellow prisoners wasn’t exactly the road he thought he would go down this evening.

The boy watched as Alec got dressed, taking in the blistering scar that was on his back before looking away, he doubted he wanted him to see it. He looked over at the policemen and the detective that had brought this new kid in making eye contact for a second then looking away quickly. This was a completely knew experience for him and he wasn’t sure what was appropriate and what wasn’t.

“What’s your name?” Alec asked once he was fully dressed.

“Magnus Bane, Magnus,” he said, realising that he probably didn’t want to know his full name.

“Alexander Lightwood, Alec,” Alec responded, a slight glint of amusement in his eyes.

“You suit Alexander more,” Magnus stated.

Alec sat down next to Magnus on the bench, “Well, no one ever really calls me that, but whatever floats your boat,” he paused for a second, “This is your first time in a police station isn’t it?”

Magnus nodded, “How did you know?”

“You offered a potentially dangerous criminal your hoodie, luckily for you I’m not really dangerous, but I wouldn’t make that a habit.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” Magnus said laughing slightly at the comment, “So if you’re not a dangerous criminal, how come you’ve been arrested?” he ventured.

“Ah,” Alec said teasingly, “Another slip up, you don’t ask a criminal what they’re in for, however, since you’re new I’ll share my terrible, terrible crime with you. I stole a loaf of bread.”

“A real-life Jean Valjean?”

“That’s what I told the cops… it didn’t exactly please them.”

“I’m not surprised, they probably didn’t know what you were talking about.”

Alec smiled, for some reason the emotions that had been running through his head a few moments ago had slipped away now that he was talking to Magnus. Normally he was reluctant to talk to anyone but there was something different about this kid, like he got him. He hadn’t questioned the fact that he was soaked through, he’d just given him his hoodie, he hadn’t asked why he stole the bread, he hadn’t even brought up the injury on his back that he was pretty sure he saw. He was letting him be himself more than anyone else ever had and he didn’t even know it.

“What about you then? What brings you do this lovely facility?”

Magnus looked down at the floor before looking up at Alec. In that short second his eyes had softened, he’d gone from asking the question jokingly to realising that maybe he’d hit a nerve and that Magnus wouldn’t want to answer. The fact that he’d realised that so quickly told Magnus a lot about the boy standing in front of him but also made him want to tell him his entire life story, he was trustworthy, that was clear.

“You don’t have to say,” Alec said softly.

“No, you’re fine. I guess it’s not a big deal really, I’d been sleeping in this abandoned run-down building… luxurious accommodation if you ask me, but apparently it was private property and I couldn’t sleep there. So the police brought me hear because I’m not old enough to like legally be homeless or something ridiculous like that.”

“The fact that there is an age where you can legally be homeless is a joke,” Alec said bitterly, “How old are you then?”

“17, you?”

“Same,” Alec said smiling. “I’m guessing they’re going to put you into the system then?”

Magnus shrugged, “I don’t really know. They mentioned something about a halfway house, but they didn’t seem sure.”

Alec nodded, “I’ve been trying to get into one of them for years.”

“You’re homeless too?”

Alec thought about it for a second, “I guess technically I am right now; I ran away from my foster parent.”

Magnus thought about the mark on Alec’s back if that was the reason why he ran away he couldn’t blame him. Whilst his pain was enough for him to bare he was pretty sure if he’d been through anything like Alec had he’d have combusted entirely and to come out as blasé as Alec had it was kind of impressive and he didn’t even know the whole story.

The door to the cell opened and Detective Garraway came into the cell, raising his eyebrows at the two boys chatting away. Usually Alec shrunk into himself when he was brought into the station but apparently today was a day of changes.

He smiled at the two of them, “I’m glad you’re both getting to know each other, it looks like you might be spending some more time together.”

“What does that mean?” Alec asked chewing on his lip.

“I’ve been on the phone to your social worker Alec and I mentioned that there was another boy in a similar situation to you, she’d made a few calls and she’s managed to find somewhere for the both of you to live.”

“Another foster parent?” Alec asked, his heart rate starting to increase.

“No. It’s like a children’s home but they try to instil independence into the older children that are staying there.”

“Wait, I’m going there too?” Magnus asked.

“Yes, you are. There’s one more thing though.”

Luke looked knowingly at Alec instantly making the boy worry. He knew exactly what was coming next, “Don’t say it Luke.”

Magnus looked over at Alec who looked like he was about to vomit. The blasé attitude had very quickly dissipated.

“You both need to get checked out at the hospital, but,” Luke looked at Alec whose head had fallen between his knees. He moved towards him and knelt down to his level, “Alec look at me,” he said putting his hand on his shoulders, “I’m going to stay with you the whole time until your social worker comes to pick you up.”

Alec nodded and took a deep breath, “Yeah,” he swallowed, “I’ll be fine,” he said, more to convince himself rather than anyone else.”

Luke moved away from Alec and stood up, “Come on then, let’s go.”

Magnus stood up first, shortly followed by Alec who had completely slipped into his own mind. He nudged him slightly, “It’ll be okay,” he grinned, “At least the food’s good,” he said sarcastically.


	2. The Way Things Are Now

Chapter 2: The Way Things Are Now 

The room around him was filled with the sound of medical equipment vibrating and beeping as he awoke from the deep chemically induced sleep that he had been gifted instantly bringing him back into more of a feeling of terror than anything else. He’d slept well but he’d woken up in a nightmare. He looked down at his arm which had a tube attached to it clearly pumping him full of nutrients or whatever, a tinfoil blanket lay on the floor to his left and to his right was… Magnus?

“Morning,” Alec mumbled, propping himself up on the bed. “Where’d Luke go?”

“He went to take a call. Apparently, our social worker should be here soon.”

“ _Our_ social worker?” Alec said rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah, I belong to her now I guess.”

“That’s a possessive but accurate way of looking at it.”

Magnus weighed up the expression on Alec’s face, whilst he was acting chipper, he couldn’t imagine that he was feeling the same way inside. Not after witnessing the meltdown he’d had upon their arrival to the hospital when he was told that he needed an IV. He smiled, “So, how are you feeling?”

“Revitalised,” Alec said sarcastically.

“I’m glad to hear it but I meant more up here,” Magnus replied gesturing to his own head.

Alec chewed on his lip, “Listen, I’m sorry about last night, you shouldn’t have had to see me so… corrupted.”

“That’s an interesting choice of word,” he paused, “I barely know you Alexander but what I do know makes it seem that having a panic attack like that is more than excusable. Not that anyone needs an excuse, but you, whatever it is you’ve been through it’s more than most.”

Alec nodded, unsure of how he felt about someone seemingly looking directly into his soul and knowing everything about him despite him not really telling him much at all. “Well, these things happen I guess.”

The door to the ward opened revealing Luke and Alec’s old and Magnus’ new social worker, Stacey. Alec groaned at the sight of the person that only seemed to give him bad news, unsure of whether he was about to get a lecture or an apology or a combination of both. “Brace yourself, this could be interesting,” he whispered to Magnus as they approached the bed.

“How’re you feeling kiddo?” Luke asked, looking at him with a genuine element of concern etched into his face. “You had quite the eventful night.”

Alec plastered on a smile, “I’m fine, thanks,” he said, too distracted by the presence of Stacey.

“You must be Magnus; my name is Stacey I will be your social worker till you turn 18 and age out of the system.”

Magnus took her hand and shook it, “Nice to meet you,” he said slightly awkwardly.

“Yeah, once we turn 18 we’re thrown straight back onto the streets to become another statistic of children in care. It’s honestly incredible the amount of support the system provides us with once we ‘age out’ isn’t it Stace?” Alec recited, clearly this was an argument he regularly brought up.

“You’re targeting your anger at the wrong person Alec,” Stacey reprimanded, “Anyway. The doctor wants to have a quick chat with you Alec, then we can get going, does that sound okay?”

“Wonderful,” Alec quipped sarcastically.

Magnus’ mouth turned up at the corners at Alec’s attitude, “That sounds fine,” Magnus said, he didn’t want to say it sounded great because he wasn’t sure that it did. He’d been living alone for a month now; he was used to it and wasn’t sure if living with other people was something that he wanted to get used to.

* * *

It was later that afternoon when they both arrived at the place that they now had to call home, Idris Institute seemed a clinical name for a children’s home but apparently it was the name it used to be called when it was a psychiatric hospital 10 years ago. Another factor that made both Alec and Magnus feel as though whatever this place was like it would never feel like home. How could it with the ghosts that indefinitely lined the corridors brought to life by the terror of children crying and screaming because they don’t know why they’ve been taken away from their parents. For Alec it was the second children’s home he’d been in so he kind of knew the drill, Magnus on the other hand didn’t really know what to expect at all.

“Right, so we’re a bit short on rooms at the moment so the two of you are going to have to share, are you okay with that?” Hodge, the man who owned the home said as soon as Stacey left.

The two of them looked at each other surprised at how fate seemed to want them to remain in contact with each other ever since their first meeting. “That’s fine with me,” Alec started. He usually preferred having a roommate, for the most part anyway, it meant that he was less vulnerable, and he got on with Magnus which would hopefully make things a lot easier.

Magnus nodded, “That’s okay,” he mumbled.

“Right I’ll show where you’re at,” Hodge said as he started heading up the stairs that were littered with children’s toys. “There are three main rules that you need to abide by if you’re going to stay here. You help out with the house, looking after the little ones, cleaning up and all that stuff, secondly you’re nice to the rest of the children here, no fighting and thirdly, you go to school, every day.”

“We have to go to school?” Alec repeated, his stomach sinking slightly, he’d never been good when it came to the social situations that school encountered. Academically he flew ahead but school in itself was a social nightmare.

“Yes. You’ll be starting Alicante Academy on Monday. You’ll have a meeting with the guidance counsellor that works in liaison with us here at Idris Institute to discuss any provisions that you may need,” he looked at Alec whose brow was now furrowed in concentration. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Is there anything else?” Magnus interrupted noting the forlorn expression on his new friend’s face.

“Breakfast is at 7:30, lunch is at 12:30 and dinner is at 6:30. Don’t be late. Okay, this is your room, I’ll leave you both to get settled.”

Alec opened the door to the room, unsurprised at what was inside. Two beds, one against the wall to the left, one against the wall to the right which was slightly crammed in due to the slanting nature of the roof. He thought they’d climbed a few flights of stairs; they must be in the attic room. There were two desks, one of which was situated in an alcove with a window which was somewhat picturesque the other adjacent to the bed under the slanted roof. Two wardrobes, plain paint and wooden floors covered with a rug in the middle, it was average although the attic vibe did give it some sort of character.

Magnus followed Alec in and put his backpack down against the wall, taking in his new home. He took a deep breath, “What bed to you want?” he asked Alec who had now thrown his bin bag of clothes on the floor.

“I don’t care to be honest,” Alec said, smiling at Magnus.

“Do you mind if I take this one?” Magnus asked, gesturing to the bed with the slanted roof.

“Go for it,” Alec said moving his bag to the other bed and tipping out its contents of crumpled clothes, starting to fold them and place them inside the wardrobe. After a few minutes of silence he looked over at Magnus who was sat on the bed staring at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the world. “Magnus.”

“Yeah?” Magnus responded, jumping from the interruption from his thoughts.

“Are you okay? You seem distant.”

Magnus shrugged and positioned himself, so he was facing Alec. “Do you ever feel like you’ve been running at 100 for ages and then suddenly everything stops?” he asked.

Alec sat down on his bed, weighing up what Magnus was getting at. “I suppose…although, I’ve become used to it. Things have always been a bit up and down for me.”

Magnus sighed, “When my Mum died, I ran away so that they couldn’t take me, it was what she told me to do if anything ever happened. Since then all I’ve been thinking about is how to survive and now I don’t have to think about that…”

“…You’ve finally got time to grieve.”

“It was a month ago, the worst should be over by now.”

Alec shook his head stubbornly, “I’ve lost a lot of people in my life Magnus, the worst is never really over, as time goes on though, the worst slips to the back of your mind, it’s only been a month and you’re right, you’ve not had time to even process anything at all yet. However you’re feeling, I’m sure it’s natural.”

Magnus nodded, “You’re a wise one, aren’t you?”

Alec laughed at the comment, “I don’t think I’ve ever been called wise before, but I’ll take it,” he said smiling.

Alec returned to his unpacking as Magnus filtered through his backpack which only seemed to have the essentials in it, no clothes, just a toothbrush, toothpaste and a few trinkets that he figured were more than just trinkets to him. Alec folded up a pair of shorts and a grey vest top then handed them to Magnus.

“For tonight. Hopefully Hodge will let you pick up some stuff tomorrow.”

Magnus nodded, “Thank you Alexander.”

“Any time,” Alec responded.

* * *

Magnus couldn’t help but be grateful that he had Alec with him during times that were unprecedented for himself. Dinner was like feeding time at the zoo, children screaming and fighting over the last slice of pizza, little children asking him question after question and the stark emptiness of the room as everyone _‘shot gunned not me’_ over doing the dishes. It was complete carnage, but Alec guided him through it, if anything Alec seemed comfortable with the situation like he’d missed being surrounded by so many people and it was nice to see him interacting with all the younger children.

“Can I help you dry?” A little voice said from below Magnus as he and Alec started on cleaning the dishes.

“You don’t have to, why don’t you go upstairs and play?” Alec replied with a gentle smile.

“It was supposed to be my turn and I don’t want Hodge to find out I didn’t do it.”

Alec nodded, “Okay then,” he said handing her a tea towel and lifting her onto the counter, so she was at a level height with them. “What’s your name?”

“Madzie.”

Magnus smiled at her and handed her a plate to try, “I’m Magnus,” he said, instigating a conversation for the first time rather than just standing their speechless like he had for most of the evening so far.

“What’s your name?” Madzie asked Alec.

“I’m Alec.”

“Can we be friends?” Madzie said glancing between the two of them.

“Of course we can,” Magnus said almost instantly. How could he not? The little girl must have only been about 5 and those big puppy dog eyes were impossible to say no to.

“Yay!” she said before focusing her attention on the dishes they were drying.

Later that evening the two of them were back in their bedroom, Alec had managed to source a book from the playroom that wasn’t written for the middle grade and Magnus had found a notebook that he had been scribbling in for the past hour. They’d both fallen into habits that they only did when they didn’t have to worry about survival, things that they actually enjoyed doing for once.

Alec rolled over on his bed and reached beneath it to grab the tennis ball that he must have had for at least 5 years. “Catch!” he yelled making Magnus jump as he caught the ball that was suddenly flying in his direction.

“Jesus Alexander! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Maybe,” Alec teased as Magnus threw it back to him earning himself a shake of the head in amusement. “I’m bored is all.”

“So you decided to throw a tennis ball at me?”

“To you, not at you, they’re completely different things.”

“Hmm,” Magnus said, “So, how can I entertain you?”

Alec shrugged, “I don’t know, that’s your job.”

Magnus laughed at the comment, “A job that I didn’t know that I had until now,” he stopped for a second before throwing the tennis ball back at Alec, “How are you feeling about school?”

“Ah,” Alec sighed, “Turns out I’m not bored anymore,” he said attempting to divert the question to something else.

“Hold up, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s just not my favourite place to be, that’s all.”

Magnus nodded, “Well, I’ve not been for a month so I’m gonna be really far behind, looks like we both might be struggling.”

“Yeah maybe… I just need to try and keep my head down, things always seem to go wrong for me whenever I go back to school,” Alec admitted, surprised at his own candour.

Magnus looked at him knowingly, “I’m assuming you’ve been to a lot of schools?”

“Too many to keep count.”

“Well,” Magnus said getting up from his bed and sitting down next to Alec, “If things are getting too much, you can always come and find me. I know this sort of stuff is the norm for you but for me, it would be nice if we could be in it together.”

Alec smiled gently as he tilted his head towards Magnus, “Same goes for you. If you need anything, come to me, I have my ways of sorting things.”

Magnus laughed at the comment, “That sounds mysterious Alexander.”

“What can I say?” Alec joked, “I’m a mysterious guy.”

The two of them remained silent for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts and the extremity of their lives so far. Alec chuckled to himself, running his hand through his hair in embarrassment at what he was about to say but also feeling somewhat lighter than he had in a long time.

“You know Magnus, I don’t think I’ve ever really had a friend.”

Magnus turned his head to look back at Alec. “I’m sure you have. Look at yourself, you’re good looking, smart, kind to people they’re top tier friend qualities.”

Alec shook his head adamantly, “I’m not sure any of that’s true,” he paused, “I’ve always pushed people away, but I’m not sure if I have the energy to do that anymore.”

“Then don’t,” Magnus smiled not just with his lips but with his eyes that seemed to be sparkling with an unknown energy to Alec. “I don’t think either of us are going anywhere.”

“So, you’ll be my friend.”

Magnus nudged Alec on the shoulder playfully. “Yes, I’ll be your friend you idiot. What is this, 3rd grade?”

“On a social level, that’s probably where I’m at.”

“I don’t think so Alexander.”

“You haven’t seen me at my worst yet.”

“Well, you haven’t seen me at my worst yet either.”

Alec grinned at Magnus, “I can’t believe we met at a police station less than 24 hours ago and now we’re like, roommates.”

“Imagine what your life would be like if you hadn’t stolen that loaf of bread.”

Alec looked down at the floor, “I’d rather not.”

Magnus swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as soon as he’d said that comment, completely forgetting about what had potentially happened at the last place Alec lived. “Sorry, that was insensitive of me,” he said, putting a hand around Alec’s shoulders.

Alec looked up suddenly like he was trying to shake off all the bad memories and pretend that they didn’t exist. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, attempting to portray happiness rather than the darkness in his mind. “It’s getting late. We should probably go to bed.”

Magnus watched Alec for a second as he turned back his sheets. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Alec said, his voice cracking slightly which he quickly covered up by getting under the blankets. “Goodnight Magnus.”

“Goodnight Alexander.”

Magnus headed over to his own bed and got into it. He’d heard the crack in Alec’s voice, and he could hear the uneven breaths coming from the other side of the room. He breathed out slowly, the guilt that he was the one who had upset Alec threatening to overwhelm him, he always seemed to say the wrong thing. He rolled over and buried his head in his pillow the reality that both of them were at a point in their lives where anything could break at any moment hitting him. They were teenagers, almost adults but neither of them knew what it was like to be cared for, what they did know though was how shitty life could be and when they remembered that it was hard not to feel like the whole world was crashing down around them. A feeling that to an unhealthy extent was way too familiar yet still held its power in certain moments when one small thought, one little comment was enough to trigger a tidal wave of emotions. Both of them had a long way to go but as the both of them lay in bed, their minds overwhelmed by their pasts there was a tiny voice inside their heads whispering to them that this time maybe, just maybe, things will be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> Firstly, I hope you are all doing well and secondly, thank you so much for reading! I'm trying to upload roughly every third day but this may fluctuate to every other day and every fourth day depending on the content of the chapter and how much time I have to write (I'm expecting an email from UNI telling me what I need to do to pass my course which will up my workload). Thankfully, I am really enjoying writing this fic and am happy with where it's going, so it looks like my writers block/doubt is dissapating!!! 
> 
> Again, thank you so much for reading, 
> 
> Amy x


	3. Into the Lions Den

Chapter 3: Into the Lion’s Den 

It was obvious that Alec was only pretending to be asleep as Magnus got himself ready for their first day at Alicante High. That was clear from the constant tossing and turning that was way to aggressive and adrenaline fuelled then it would be if he was actually asleep. Magnus walked over to Alec’s side of the room and opened up his wardrobe pulling out a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt, then sat down on the bed next to him.

Alec froze slightly as the bed sunk with Magnus’ weight. He didn’t want him to have to deal with him when he was so het up, he knew he wouldn’t take it out on him exactly but the stress he felt whenever he was forced to start a new school made him feel very tetchy and ready to jump into action at any moment. It was as though he went from feeling completely neutral to a constant state of fight mode that almost definitely wasn’t healthy for him or anyone else around him.

“You’re going to miss breakfast Alexander,” Magnus ventured, “I got you some clothes out.”

Alec groaned revealing his head from underneath the covers, “How can the weekend already be over?”

“Come on,” Magnus said, patting the bed enthusiastically, “Give me your hands.”

Alec looked at Magnus with scepticism before doing what he was told only to find himself being thrusted out of the bed, almost falling on the floor with the force. “Since when were you so strong?” he said slightly flustered but also a little impressed.

“Since I started trying stop you from getting bollocked by Hodge. Rule number three remember.”

Alec rolled his eyes, “He wouldn’t kick me out so soon.”

“How do you know that?”

Alec rolled his eyes again, “Fine!” he exclaimed dramatically, “I’ll go to school, if only to make you shut up about it.”

Magnus’ eyes glinted in victory, “Good boy,” he said patronisingly before returning to the small mirror on his desk that he’d picked up over the weekend. Hodge had driven him back to the flat that he lived in with his Mum to collect his things, it hadn’t exactly been a pleasant experience and he desperately wanted it put to the back of his mind, but at least he had his clothes now. His clothes were part of who he was, at least they made him feel a little more like him than the oversized plain t-shirts that Alec had been lending him.

On the other side of the room Alec was finally getting dressed, his eyes unable to move from Magnus who looked entirely different from how he had in the days he’d known him so far. He was wearing black jeans, like he was, but the shirt he was wearing was a deep burgundy ordained with some kind of jewels around the cuffs and it fitted him perfectly. That with the jewellery that was perfectly placed around his neck and dripping off his wrists paired with his hair that was styled properly now that he had something other than water to use made him look like someone else entirely. Someone who wasn’t afraid to show their personality through what they wore, someone who wasn’t going to let anyone know how broken they were through their appearance. Alec looked down at his own clothes, the jeans were a few months old but they were the cheapest he could find, his t-shirt had a couple of holes in it around the belt line… contrasting to Magnus he did look like someone who was broken because how could he hide his own poverty when it was screaming in front of everyone else’s face.

“What’s so interesting?” Magnus asked, smiling slightly at Alec.

“Nothing, you just look, different.”

Magnus properly smiled then, teeth on show, his eyes doing their famous glint, “I’m glad you said that. Whilst I appreciated the clothes you were lending me; they weren’t really me. Who’d have thought that being back in my own clothes would make me feel so much lighter.”

Alec scanned Magnus’ appearance again, “You look good,” he said, his cheeks flushing red as soon as he said, but not red enough that he looked away in embarrassment. He wanted Magnus to know that he honestly thought he looked good that he wasn’t afraid of complimenting another guy on his appearance, just in case… he stopped himself, things like this never went well, not when you were like him. He had to hold back, he always had to hold back.

“Thank you, Alexander,” Magnus said, heading over to the bedroom door, “Come on, let’s go get breakfast before the kitchen turns into a warzone.”

“Ah, looks like you’re learning the ways of a children home already,” Alec rushed, thanking Magnus as he held the door open for him.

* * *

They pulled up to Alicante Academy in an minibus with ‘Idris Institute’ plastered all over it making it all to obvious that the ‘looked after children’ were about to arrive, making it impossible for them to pretend to be someone else when they arrived. Alec jumped out of the bus, looking around him, instantly trying to gage an impression of the school and find a place where he could hide from the rest of the population. If he wasn’t going to be able to hide from the stereotype his circumstances gave him then he was sure as hell going to literally hide from everyone. At the end of the day, all he had to do was survive and if he could stay hidden then there was an actual chance that he might.

“Alec, Magnus, I’ll show you the way to the guidance counsellors office, he’s expecting a chat with you both,” Hodge said once the rest of the bus had dispersed to their own classes.

Magnus looked over at Alec whose face had never been so pale, he looked as though he could throw up at any given moment. No one really liked school, that was a given, but Alec, well he was taking it to the next level considering the look on his face. Magnus nudged him gently as they followed Hodge into the building. “Breathe,” he whispered, trying to transfer some courage to him.

The metallic taste of blood touched Alec’s tongue as he realised that he’d been chewing on it so much that he’d gone through the skin. He quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand, urging himself to pull it together, yes, he didn’t want to be here, but he also didn’t want to in this state of instability that he’d found himself in. The corridors of the school were starch white, silver lockers, the sound of chatter and laughter from students that Alec instantly wanted to block out… for the first time in his life he was actually relieved to be going to see the guidance counsellor, at least that way he could escape the pressure cooker that he currently felt he was in.

“Right, here we are boys,” Hodge said knocking on the door and leading them inside an office that could only really described as being very ‘guidance counsellory”, “This is Matt, the school’s guidance counsellor. Am I alright to leave them with you now?”

“Sure thing,” Matt said, overly chipper, young, inexperienced? “Take a seat boys.”

Alec sat down on the sofa opposite the armchair that Matt was sat in, a breath of relief escaping from his lips as the outside world became more distant from him. Magnus followed suit, suddenly realising that he was now the one out of his depth. Whilst Alec was used to guidance counsellor’s offices and police stations, Magnus wasn’t in the slightest, he was used to keeping his head down and getting on with his work whilst still having a positive reputation. He wasn’t exactly sure of the protocol now that he was here.

“So, how are you both?”

Alec assumed Magnus would speak first but one look at him told Alec that he was feeling incredibly awkward at the situation they were in. “Fine,” Alec said before realising that there wasn’t much point in lying, “Well, not fine, but, I’m surviving,” he said quickly.

“What about you Magnus?”

“I’m good,” Magnus said, looking up.

“Well, I wanted to let you know that we’re here for you. Alicante Academy is known for it’s resources when it comes to looked after children…”

Alec zoned out as soon as the phrase ‘looked after children’ entered his ears.

“…I’ve read both of your files and you both seem like very intelligent boys, but you both have missed a lot of school so we’ll see how you get on and if we need to switch anything around we can do.”

Alec sighed, “You won’t though, will you?”

“Excuse me?” Matt said, his eyebrows raised at the comment.

“Alexander, don’t start it’s a waste of time,” Magnus coaxed, he’d heard plenty of Alec’s speeches about the system and school over the weekend and he figured that if he delved into one now then it would only result in some sort of explosion. 

“I don’t need you to tell me what’s a waste of time and what isn’t,” Alec snapped, instantly regretting it when he saw how taken aback Magnus was, “Sorry, I just, I don’t like school.”

Magnus nodded, “It’s okay, just calm yourself down, there’s no use losing your shit just yet.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Matt interrupted. “Right, Magnus, how about we get you off to class then I’ll come back, and we can have a chat Alec?”

“Yeah that’s fine.”

Waiting for Matt to come back was time alone that Alec needed, he liked Magnus, he really did but everyone needed time to reflect by themselves and with so many thoughts running through his head Alec desperately needed to do just that. He knew that he needed to calm himself down, that if he stayed inside his head like this then it wasn’t going to help anyone. He’d been forced through enough therapy sessions in his life to know that. Subsequently that meant that he did have some strategies to calm himself down, the ones that had been recommended to him, to breathe slowly, empty his mind yada yada yada, and the ones that he’d come up with himself. To disengage. That’s what he was going to have to do now that he was at school, put the walls up, don’t talk to people and focus on work after all, he liked learning and if he could put that to the forefront of his mind and rid everything else from his brain then maybe he could get through it.

“Right, are you feeling a bit better now Alec?” Matt said sitting back down in the armchair.

Alec nodded, “Yeah sorry, just first day nerves I guess,” he said, forcing a smile.

“That’s okay. Now, I wanted to talk to you about how you want to approach this. I’ve read your file, and I know that school can sometimes be a bit of a challenge for you. Not academically of course as you have always been way ahead of your peers in that sense, but socially.”

“I guess.”

“Why do you think it’s challenging for you?”

Alec shrugged, “I don’t know. Other kids judge kids like me and I’ve been to so many different places its not like I’ve had a chance to settle down or anything like that.”

Matt smiled, “Well you’re certainly astute to what’s going on around you. At Alicante we are really trying to put a stop to any discriminatory behaviour towards our looked after children, we want everyone to get a full experience of this school. If anyone says anything to you Alec, mark my word, we will put a stop to it.”

Alec wanted to say that he was chatting a load of rubbish, there was no way the school could put a stop to everything, that was practically impossible, but he held himself back. He needed to remain distant, stoic even, as long as he didn’t let things get to him, he would be okay. “Thanks,” he mumbled instead.

“I also want to give you a ‘get out’ clause.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you think you’re getting overwhelmed or angry, you can come to my office, spend the period with me until you’re calm again. Hopefully that will stop you from getting into trouble. You’ll also have weakly sessions with me, something that every looked after child had, however, if you want to up them, we can do that. You’ve been through a lot recently and we want to support you.”

Alec swallowed the lump in his throat, he hated being told that he’d been through a lot, he knew that he’d been through a lot, he didn’t need reminding of it, if anything he needed someone to erase it from his memory. “Can I go to class now?” he said, surprised that those words had come out of his mouth.

“Yes, I’ll show you the way, come on,” Matt said, “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” he said trying to give Matt a reassuring look that would give him the relief that he didn’t have to worry about him. He didn’t, he could do this, he would do this.

* * *

Magnus lay on his bed, throwing and catching Alec’s old tennis ball to pass the time before Alec was done chatting to Hodge. School had been better than he’d expected, he’d been paired up with a girl who was definitely a lot smarter than he was called Catarina and rather than reluctantly show him the ropes she was actually interested in him. They sat with her and her friends at lunch and she’d even invited him to a party at the weekend, although Magnus wasn’t sure if he’d be allowed to go to that. He figured Hodge would have some sort of curfew set up for things like that.

The door to the bedroom opened revealing a slightly flustered looking Alec, “Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked grabbing his jacket and putting it on, already about to leave the room.

“Erm, yeah sure,” Magnus said, hastily putting his shoes on and following him down the stairs. “Is everything okay?”

“Stacey and Detective Garraway want to talk to me this evening,” Alec rushed, walking a few steps in front of Magnus who was struggling to keep up with the hurried pace that Alec was setting. “I don’t want to talk about it though,” they crossed the road into the park, “I need to be distracted.”

“And you want me to distract you?”

“Yes. Well, I just need to talk about anything other than school, or social workers, I just want to talk about something normal for once.”

“Right,” Magnus said as he jogged to catch up, “Well, you’re not going to be able to hear me if you keep on running off ahead.”

Alec slowed and looked behind him at Magnus who quickly levelled with him, “Sorry” he said, running his hand through his hair, “I’m just, stressed.”

“Well, whatever it is they want to talk to you about, I’m sure you don’t need to worry.”

“Let’s not think about it,” Alec said, heading towards one of the small ponds and picking up a stone and skimming it across. “How many skips can you get?” He asked Magnus, a glint of competition in his eyes.

“Oh, you’re in for a surprise. I’m an expert when it comes to stone skipping Alexander,” Magnus taunted, investigating the ground below him before selecting the perfect stone and skimming it deftly across the water. He threw his hands up in victory, “Haha! Six times, that’s twice as many as you. I win!”

“Who said it was a competition?” Alec teased, picking up another stone and throwing it, only getting four skips.

“Everything’s a competition,” Magnus said, nudging Alec playfully, “You’re just bitter because you lost.”

“Whatever,” Alec said pushing Magnus back gently before sitting down on the rocks beneath them, his head resting on the verge of grass so all he could see above him were the trees sheltering the bond. “Come sit,” Alec beckoned.

“Alexander, the ground will be freezing, and you didn’t give me time to get a coat.”

Alec laughed as he took his own coat off and spread it over the ground, “No excuses now,” he said, feeling a lot lighter after spending time with Magnus without the worry of his everyday life sitting on top of him.

Magnus rolled his eyes and reluctantly lay down next to him. “Can you see those birds?” he said, pointing up in the direction of one of the trees above them.

“Are they fucking?” Alec said, trying not to laugh at the observation that Magnus had forced him to witness, “They’re actually fucking, aren’t they?”

Magnus laughed at Alec’s shock that birds fucking was what he’d drawn his attention too, “They are indeed,” he said turning on his side to look at Alec, happy that he’d made him laugh for the first time that day. Even if it would be short lived once he went in for his meeting with Stacey and Detective Garraway. “Imagine if we all just had sex out in the open like those birds, what a world we’d live in.”

“Jesus Magnus,” Alec said turning to look at him, “Are you horny or something?”

Magnus scoffed at the comment, “No, it just got me thinking, that’s all, although it has been ages since… that’s inappropriate, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, we’re teenagers, this is what we’re supposed to be talking about, right?”

“I guess so,” Magnus said, “Not that I want to think about my last time, my girlfriend broke up with me straight afterwards, cold hearted is an understatement.”

“She sounds like a bitch.”

“She was,” he paused, “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Have you ever, you know? Had a girlfriend?”

Alec shook his head, swallowing the lump in his throat that threatened to stop him from saying anything at all. “I wouldn’t want one anyway,” he said, was that enough?

“Boyfriend?” Magnus ventured, despite already knowing that was what Alec was trying to imply.

“Nope, I’ve never really been emotionally available for anyone and, well, I was always too scared to come out when I was in foster families just in case they kicked me out, it was too risky and it wasn’t like I was going to be having a boyfriend anytime soon so it didn’t matter.”

Magnus nodded, “I get that… I never told my ex that I was bi, I think that was part of the reason she ended it so coldly, she must have found out.”

“It shouldn’t have made a difference,” Alec stated, his eyes incredibly honest as he spoke, “People are idiots.”

“That’s true,” Magnus said smiling. “Hey! Look at us, we’re having a normal conversation for once!”

“Classic teen relationship angst, who’d have thought that we were actually fucked up.”

“Not fucked up, just struggling a bit,” Magnus corrected.

“You sound like Stacey.”

Magnus clutched his hands to his chest dramatically, pretending like he had been shot in the chest, “I’m so offended I might die,” he said rolling over, his leg accidently resting on top of Alec’s, he didn’t move it though and Alec didn’t move it away.

“Maybe you should sign up for drama club.”

“Maybe,” Magnus agreed, “Although I was thinking about joining the acapella group, I used to be in the one at my old schools, it might distract me.”

“You should!” Alec said enthusiastically, “I’d love to hear you sing, you can practice your audition in front of me, I’m a very honest critic!”

Magnus laughed at the enthusiasm, “We’ll see about that,” he said, standing up, “Come on, let’s head back, it’s freezing.”

Alec groaned, “Time to face the music I guess.”

The two of them headed back to Idris, both of them feeling considerably less stressed than they had been, grateful for normal conversation and being comfortable enough to actually laugh for once. It may have been over two birds having sex but it was something and the release of serotonin into their brains was something they both needed more than they realised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> I hope you are all healthy and well! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a great day! 
> 
> Amy x


	4. Rising Out of Darkness

Chapter 4: Rising Out of Darkness 

It was ambitious to think that the feeling of happiness that had arrived from spending time with Magnus would last for long, especially after a meeting with Stacey and Luke, it was inevitable that it would stir things up, and it had. He barely even acknowledged Magnus’ presence when he entered their bedroom, way too focused on the moral dilemma that he’d been forced to battle with. It would have been so much easier if he could just pretend the last few months hadn’t happened then no one would know, and he wouldn’t have to go through it all over again.

He threw himself down onto his bed, gritting his teeth around his pillow the bitter taste providing him some relief, he wanted to scream, explode in some way but how was he supposed to do that? There was no where for him to go. He groaned, a halfway point between screaming and crying but it wasn’t enough so punched the mattress instead, it was too soft, he couldn’t get it out, he didn’t even know what he wanted to get out. Everything inside of him was twisted in untenable knots that had been set on fire and were threatening to explode out of him in one massive eruption, he couldn’t explain the frustration that he was feeling which only made it harder to release.

Magnus watched as Alec started to spiral, he was volatile, that was clear. If he went over to him, he wasn’t sure if he’d lash out, or breakdown or just ignore him, was he better off staying where he was, letting Alec deal with it on his own. He took a deep breath and stood up, he couldn’t do that, if there was one thing Alec did need to know it was that he wasn’t alone and if Magnus could remind him of that, he would, even if he was risking a punch to the face in the process.

“Alexander,” Magnus ventured as he stood above the restless figure that was lying on the bed, his face buried in the pillow, “Talk to me.”

Alec’s hands clenched tighter onto the pillow like he was holding on to them for dear life, like they were the only thing grounding him to reality. “Magnus, leave,” he spat out. The words were muffled but the tone was evident, desperate.

“No,” Magnus said, risking sitting down next to Alec’s legs, “I won’t leave, not when you’re like this.”

The words were like acid entering Alec’s ears, the final straw maybe as he jerked himself upright his eyes red raw and his whole-body seething with, not anger, but something else that was hard for both Alec and Magnus to put their fingers on.

“You don’t get to do that Magnus! You don’t get to be that person that stays here when I’m like this. I’m fucked up, you don’t want to get involved you don’t want to get involved you just want to be a good person and that, that’s not enough! I just, I don’t want you-”

Magnus stopped him then, wrapping his arms around Alec’s back and pulling him towards him, holding him against his chest tightly, refusing to let go. The muscles in Alec’s chest rose and fell against him, his back shaking from the energy inside of him before it all exploded out of him, firstly in one gut-wrenching sob that dispersed into a steady stream of tears. Magnus didn’t let go, not when his hands became wet from the sweat on Alec’s back, or a pool of Alec’s tears formed in the crook of his neck. He needed to know that he was there for the long haul and he’d do anything he could to prove that to him.

“Alexander,” Magnus whispered. He had been holding him for nearly 20 minutes and the tears had now stopped, their bodies warm against each other as they held the position for comfort more than anything. He moved Alec away from him, his hands still resting on his shoulders as he stared into the bloodshot eyes that still carried an essence of beauty. “I know you don’t want me to be, but I’m here and I know I can’t fix everything, but I’m here. Okay?”

Alec nodded as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, “They want me to testify,” he said quietly. His stomach felt sick as the spoke the words, whether it was from the intensity he’d just been through or because he genuinely couldn’t comprehend being in court again, he wasn’t sure, either way he knew that he just wanted to go to sleep. To pretend, even if it was just for 8 hours that nothing was going on.

“About your foster parent,” Magnus said, not questioning it because what else could it be about? Whilst Alec had never told him what had happened, he’d seen the mark on his back, and he knew what else had been implied from conversations that they’d had together.

“I don’t, I can’t do it,” he said, lying back down on the bed, wrapping his arms around the pillow, holding it as if it were a teddy or a comfort blanket.

“You need to sleep,” Magnus instructed, standing up, “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, you’re upset right now, and you need time to rest and refocus.”

Alec shook his head, “Not tomorrow,” he mumbled.

“Then whenever you’re ready.”

Magnus stood there for a few seconds before reaching over and brushing the slightly damp hair off Alec’s forehead an unknown force driving him to make the move, he wasn’t sure if it was too affectionate or not, but he did it anyway. Clearly Alec had lacked any sort of affection in his life so far and sorting his hair out was only a small thing, he wasn’t even sure if Alec had noticed it, after all his eyes were closed now. The adrenaline from the past 30 minutes completely worn off as he drifted off into a sleep that Magnus prayed was restful and not full of the darkness that he had descended into that evening. He headed over to his own bed and got into it, he couldn’t imagine the pain that Alec was going through and all he wanted to do was make things better. He was worried though, there was a fine line between being perceived as helping him and trying to fix him and the last thing he wanted was for Alec to think he was trying to do the latter. Afterall, Alec didn’t need fixing, he was perfect the way that he was.

* * *

The next morning Alec woke up before Magnus, his stomach empty and his head pounding from all the crying he’d done the night before. Part of him felt guilty that he’d exposed Magnus to him at his worst, but there was something else lingering inside of him. Magnus had stayed. He looked down at his watch, there was still half an hour before breakfast and he suddenly had the desire to do some exercise, to run, so that’s what he did. He quietly snuck out of the bedroom so as not to wake Magnus and headed to the park, finding a way to release any negative energy that he had. It had been a while since he went to the gym or for a run, he hadn’t had the energy and the doctor had advised against it until his weight went up. He probably should have given it another week before he started exercising again, but with all that was going on, he needed to do it, it was healthier than mulling everything over in his head constantly.

Magnus assumed Alec was already downstairs when he went to get breakfast and was surprised when he wasn’t there. Well, at first, he was surprised but that quickly wore off as he remembered the night before and worried about where he could have possibly gone and if he’d ran away, was it his fault?

“Magnus, where’s Alec?” Hodge asked as he started buttering one of the little kid’s toast.

“I-I don’t know. I thought he was already down here.”

“He’s not in your room?”

The kitchen door burst open, revealing a slightly sweaty looking Alec, his cheeks flushed red and his hair sticking to his forehead in kind of an attractive way. Not the pained way that he had been like the night before. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, still out of breath, “I went for a run and I lost track of time.”

Hodge raised an eyebrow at Alec, “Don’t let it happen again. Go take a shower, Magnus will bring you some breakfast.”

Magnus glared at Alec, he was relieved that he was okay and that he was back, but he could have at least told him where he was going, rather than say nothing.

“I can’t believe you!” Magnus said as soon as he entered their bedroom, pushing Alec gently away from him, “You can’t just fucking leave like that!”

“What?” Alec said, stepping away from Magnus as he put a t-shirt on. The last thing he expected was for Magnus to be angry at him, he’d gone for a run, what was there to get mad at? Unless, “Oh, did I wake you? Sorry if I did-”

Magnus looked at Alec, realising that he genuinely didn’t have a clue what was going on. “No, I wish you had woken me Alexander. I had no idea where you were.”

“So?”

“I thought you’d ran away! After last night, I don’t know, I was so worried!” Magnus exclaimed pacing around the room as he tried to compose himself.

“You were worried?”

“Yes!”

“About me?”

“Yes about you!”

Alec looked down at the floor, he couldn’t remember the last time someone had actually expressed that they were worried about him, especially over something so trivial as him going for a run. “Magnus,” he said softer, the words coming out in barely a whisper.

“Yes,” Magnus responded, matching Alec’s tone and walking towards him. There was something about the way Alec’s voice had shifted that told him he was about to reveal something about himself that Magnus didn’t yet know.

Alec breathed out slowly, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t think you cared that much.”

“Well, I do Alexander, and there’s no going back now.”

“What… what if we fall in love?”

Magnus couldn’t help but be taken aback by the question, he hadn’t even been thinking about love or anything like that, he’d just been thinking about being his friend, his comrade, his… “Would that be a bad thing?” he returned, after all, he wasn’t so sure that he’d cared this much about anyone before either.

“I don’t know, I don’t think so, I mean, I don’t know,” Alec stuttered.

“You’re scared?”

“A little.”

Magnus nodded, “There’s nothing to be scared of Alexander, whatever happens, happens. Okay?”

“Okay,” Alec paused, “Do you, I don’t know,”

“Stop saying you don’t know. You do know, in here,” Magnus said, putting his hand over Alec’s heart which was beating considerably faster than it should be.

“Do you want to go on a date some time?” Alec blurted out, “I know we don’t know each other well and that we’re roommates and it’s going to be really complicated and-”

“-Shush,” Magnus said as he put a finger over Alec’s lips, silencing him, “I’d love to go on a date with you.”

“One thing though.”

“What is it.”

“We have to talk about happy stuff, okay? I don’t want this, us, to only be about the sad things”

Magnus smiled, “I completely agree.” He looked at his watch, “Come on, we’re going to be late.”

* * *

Magnus stared out of the window as he sat in Math’s class, the rain was pounding hard against it but even the terrible weather wasn’t enough to take the smile off his face, nor was the topic of conversation, algebra. When Alec had suggested the possibility of falling in love, he’d been shocked, but he couldn’t lie to himself. Not only was Alec obviously attractive, but he was kind, caring, interesting, everything anyone could want in a partner, maybe they were both too broken for it to work out, but right now they knew that they needed to give it a shot. At the end of the day, each other was all that they had.

“Someone’s in a good mood today,” Catarina said as they headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

“What do you mean?” Magnus said glancing over at her, a bemused expression on his face.

“You haven’t even realised that all you’ve done since homeroom is smile, what’s going on?”

“Oh,” Magnus suddenly became conscious of his smile, trying to stifle it, “Nothing, I’m just happy that’s all.”

“What about?”

“Oh my god!” Ragnor interrupted, “You like someone don’t you, that look is one of someone who is completely smitten!”

“You’re talking rubbish,” Magnus said, trying unsuccessfully to change the topic.

“Oh come on Magnus! Tell us who it is!”

Magnus rolled his eyes, stopping them as they locked with Alec’s who was sat at the far end of the cafeteria on his own. He smiled at him, giving him a wave.

“You’ve gone bright red,” Ragnor said, following where Magnus was looking, “Is that him? The one you like?”

Magnus sighed before finally caving, “We’re going on a date.”

“Oh my goodness Magnus, I’m so happy for you! Who is he?” Catarina exclaimed.

“He’s actually my roommate, which is a bit complicated but what can you do?”

“That’s so romantic!”

“Why is he sitting alone, should we join him?” Ragnor asked.

“Erm, I don’t know if he’d like that. One second.” Magnus pulled out his phone and gave him a quick text getting a very quick response. “Okay, come on. Don’t harass him though, he’d quieter than I am.”

“I don’t know who you think we are, we’re not animals!” Catarina said pretending to be offended.

Magnus slid onto the bench opposite Alec, his tray almost falling off the table with his enthusiasm earning himself a laugh from Alec who was slightly amused by the whole situation anyway. “You okay?” Magnus asked.

Alec looked up from his own tray and smiled at Magnus reassuringly, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Good. This is Ragnor and Catarina, guys, this is Alec.”

“Nice to meet you,” Catarina said smiling.

“Yeah, it’s lovely to meet you,” Ragnor said, holding out his hand which Alec shook.

“So, how did you guys meet?”

Alec gave Magnus a warning look. Whilst he was comfortable with who he was, he didn’t think telling Magnus’ friends that they met in a police station was a good idea, they seemed like nice people, but you never know where the boundary lies and if that would be too much. He didn’t want to be the person that caused Magnus to lose friends.

“When I was taken to Idris, Alec was already there, we met when we found out we were roommates.”

“I feel sorry for you Alec, I can’t imagine having to share a room with him,” Catarina teased.

“Well, that’s rude,” Magnus said laughing.

“I mean, she’s not wrong,” Alec interrupted, instantly making the group feel more at ease. They’d all joked with each other now, Alec had approval from Catarina and Ragnor and they all liked each other. For someone who didn’t like to make friends Alec was certainly proving himself wrong.

“What do you have now?” Magnus asked when the bell went for lunch.

“History, you?”

“Physics… unfortunately.”

Catarina and Ragnor stood up from the table, “We’ll see you in class,” Catarina said, a glint in her eyes as they left them alone.

“You know, you didn’t introduce me as Alexander.”

Magnus grinned, “I like being the only person that calls you that, Alexander.”

“I thought you’d say that.”

“Am I that predictable?”

“Yes.”

The two of them looked across at each other, the desire to kiss almost overwhelming before they remembered where they were. They couldn’t be spotted with each other, not romantically anyway, all it would take is the wrong person seeing and telling Hodge and then they’d be ripped apart from one another. They could kiss another time, they hadn’t even been on their first date yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> Hope you are all well, thank you for reading! 
> 
> Amy x


	5. Things Are Changing

Chapter 5: Things Are Changing 

Alec couldn’t help but feel nervous as he waited for Magnus to arrive, they’d decided to meet as soon as they were both done with school and now that Magnus had signed up for the acapella group it meant that he was done first. Which meant that he had to deal with the awkward waiting for his date to arrive and the fear that they might not arrive at all. He was used to being let down though, so if Magnus didn’t turn up, it would be okay, right? It was what was expected, why would Magnus want to go on a date with him anyway, he wouldn’t want to go on a date with himself, he couldn’t expect Magnus to based on that.

“Hey.”

Alec turned his head suddenly, a look of relief cracking over his face as he was greeted with Magnus’ presence standing in front of him, “I thought you wouldn’t show,” he admitted, pulling him into a hug.

Magnus raised an eyebrow at Alec and pulled away from him, “I’m not even late Alexander, I’m exactly on time.”

“I know,” Alec said taking hold of Magnus’ hand, “I just got in over my head.”

“Well, at least you’re staying on brand.”

“Hey!” Alec exclaimed nudging Magnus slightly, “I’m not always in over my head.”

“Well…” Magnus said, lingering on the word for slightly longer than necessary to wind Alec up further.

“Anyway, no talking about depressing stuff remember. Only happiness and rainbows from now on.”

“Definitely rainbows anyway,” Magnus said squeezing Alec’s hand.

The two of them headed into the less than romantic diner and sat down next to each other in a booth. Both of them would have preferred a slightly different setting for their first official date and Alec felt considerably exposed to how little he had as this was the most expensive thing that he could afford. He’d give Magnus the world if he could, he’d order him roses, make him a picnic, take him out to all the fancy restaurants, but the short of it was that he couldn’t and that they were stuck with this diner.

“Is this okay? I know it’s not much.”

“It’s perfect Alexander and anyway, it’s better than the police station.”

“That’s certainly true.”

The waitress came over to take their order, two diet cokes a burger and some chicken strips, allowing the two of them to settle into themselves for a moment before the conversation needed to continue.

“So, how was acapella?”

“It was good, the rest of the group were really nice, it was good to do something that I used to do and for fun as well.”

“I’m happy for you,” Alec said, edging closer to Magnus on the seat so he could feel the warmth radiating off him.

“What about you, are you going to join any clubs or anything?”

Alec shook his head, “Extra-curriculars aren’t exactly my thing. Maybe I’ll start going to the school gym at the end of the day though, then I can walk you home.”

“I appreciate the offer to walk me home, but isn’t it still a bit soon for you to be working out?”

“I need to do something Magnus. I’m so weak at the moment, I just want to feel like myself again, like you do when you’re at acapella.”

“I understand that,” he sighed, “I just don’t want you to push yourself too hard.”

“I won’t. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Okay,” Magnus responded calmly, this wasn’t something worth pushing on. No matter what he said he was pretty sure Alec would go to the gym either way and after all, he knew his own body and if he thought he was ready then he had to trust that. “Do you want to go splits on our food?” he said, changing the topic as the waitress put their plates down in front of them.

“You’re one of _those_ people?”

“What do you mean one of _those_ people?”

“People who say that they want chicken strips when actually they want a burger but actually don’t know what they want so ask to share instead.”

Magnus laughed at the comment, “I suppose you’re right. If you’re that protective over your burger though, it’s completely fine,” Magnus ventured despite the fact that Alec had already started cutting his burger in half.

“Too late,” he said, putting the half on his plate, a glint in his eye that signalled to Magnus that he was completely at ease.

The two of them ate in silence for a moment before Alec broke it, “What do you want to do after school?” he asked.

Magnus chewed on his burger slowly as he thought about it, he hadn’t thought about his future in a long time not since his Mum had died. He used to be full of dreams and ambitious enough to try and get them but now he cared significantly less about what he ended up doing. As long as he was alive and functioning, he’d be happy, but Alec had planted the seed now and he couldn’t help but slip back into the dreams that he used to have.

“I always wanted to be a musician,” he said almost absentmindedly, “But now, I’m not so sure I could do that. So I guess I’ll just do whatever comes up.”

“You could still be a musician, why couldn’t you?”

“I don’t know the right people, we’re not in the right place, I don’t even have my guitar anymore.”

“Hodge has one, it’s in the kid’s playroom. Magnus, you could do this, don’t give up on it yet, we’re only 17 we have a chance still.”

Magnus smiled, “I’m hearing what you’re saying Alec, but it seems very out of character for you. I didn’t think you’d still be as much of a dreamer as you are.”

“I’m not,” Alec said matter of factly, “There’s no hope for me, I’ve been through too much. You though, you’re knew to this, you could actually make something for yourself. Why wouldn’t you give it a shot?”

“You’re sounding very hypocritical Alexander. As you said, we’re only 17, if you think I can give it a chance then you can too.”

“I have a criminal record Magnus.”

“Which could get erased when you turn 18. What is it you want to do anyway, forget all the qualms you have, if you could just be you what would you choose?”

Alec smiled, “The law.”

“As in breaking it?” Magnus teased.

“Well, that’s the more likely option,” he watched as Magnus glared at his joke, “I’m kidding, I mean studying the law, being a lawyer… I’d like to work in child protection or something like that.”

“You’d like to be the person that you needed.”

Alec nodded, “I think so,” he breathed in, “It won’t happen though, so there’s no point dwelling on it.”

“I’m not going to force this conversation for much longer, but, you’re one of the smartest kids in our year Alexander, yes you’ve missed school at times, but you could easily make up for it. You could get a scholarship somewhere, school’s have to take some kids like us otherwise it would go against equity laws. You have a shot. Just think about it.”

“I’ll think about it.” He thought he was just saying that to stop Magnus from talking about it, but he knew that he wasn’t. Magnus was right, he might have a shot a decent one as well. It was what would happen if he was successful that scared him, could he really be a lawyer? Did he really have the guts to listen to children’s stories, like his own, on a daily basis? He wasn’t sure, but what he did know was that if he had Magnus by his side then maybe, just maybe, he did.

* * *

Being back at the gym was more than cathartic for Alec, the feel of sweat running down his back, wiping it from his forehead, the adrenaline pulsing through his muscles as he lifted the weights above his head. It had always been the catalyst for positive change in his life, when he could exercise it usually meant that his personal life wasn’t complete chaos which meant that he had the chance to focus on himself. That was the goal, if he could get himself feeling strong physically then maybe that strength could manifest itself mentally as well, give him the courage to apply for colleges and scholarships without the fear of rejection.

The sound of laughter came in through the entrance to the gym. Alec had kept himself so quiet since he started Alicante Academy that he didn’t know who the group were, he figured they were on a team and jocks weren’t always the best people for him to encounter. He sat down on a mat beneath a bench and hooked his feet for support as he started doing some crunches, trying not to look at the group of boys that had come in. As long as he just kept focused on what he was doing then they’d have no reason to bother him.

“Alec?”

Alec turned at the sound of his name, the voice was familiar but there was something different that made it hard to place where it came from. He was greeted with the same thought when he turned to face the voice, the floppy blonde hair, angular jaw, the eye colour, he stopped. Everything stopped, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t be standing there, in front of him, this didn’t make sense, it…

“Jace?” he croaked. The whole of the gym was now watching the conversation unfold in front of them. “No, no, no, this can’t be, you can’t be,” he stood up from his position and legged it out of the gym, his heart racing as he slid his back down the wall in the hallway trying to compose himself in anyway but knowing he was failing. He needed Magnus, he needed him to hold him like he had the night Detective Garraway came.

“Alec, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you or freak you out or anything.”

He hadn’t even realised Jace’s presence sat next to him, he must have followed him out of the gym. Fuck, the fact that he was even here was crazy enough, the fact that he had a drive to follow him when he was clearly spiralling was unfathomable.

Alec took a deep breath in, counting in his head before breathing out slowly, calming himself, or at least trying to before he started talking. “I can’t believe you’re here. How are you here?”

Jace smiled at the kid next to him who used to be his big brother but now painfully seemed to be somewhat of a shell of what he remembered him. “My birth mum turned up, after the accident, social services assessed her, she did well, and I ended up living back with her.” Jace paused for a second, for some reason he knew that the answer to his next question wasn’t going to be a pleasant one, or one that he wanted to hear. “What about you, what are you doing here?”

“I just started here, I erm, I had to move into this children’s home.”

“Why?”

“The guy fostering me before, wasn’t exactly the nicest. Anyway, I’m used to moving, it’s kind of my aesthetic.”

Jace nodded, it was obvious that Alec didn’t want to delve any deeper into his past, not yet anyway, it was almost like he was protecting him, just like he had done when the Lightwood’s adopted him 13 years ago. Alec was always the best big brother anyone could ask for a natural protector, a good person, whatever had happened to him, he knew he didn’t deserve it.

“What about Izzy?”

Alec swallowed the lump in his throat that formed whenever her name was mentioned, the guilt at not being able to save her making him feel like he could pass out at any moment. “Sh-she died Jace, I’m sorry.”

The news hit him hard, that was the last thing he expected Alec to say and clearly it wasn’t something that he liked to think about. He reached out and squeezed Alec’s knee gently, “I’m so, so, sorry Alec.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Jace nodded, “I wish I could have kept in touch with you both.”

“You’ve been lucky, you have a good life and you were only a baby really, social services were never going to let you stay in touch, not when you were back with your birth mum. It just doesn’t work like that.”

“I still wish it did.” Jace stood up, running his hand through his hair as he tried to take everything in. “I have to go to practice, but Alec, you should come to dinner with me and my mum, tomorrow night. She’d love to see you, I’m sure of it.”

Alec smiled, “That would be nice.”

“Just so you know, you’ve always been my big brother.”

Alec nodded as Jace walked away, wiping his eyes quickly to stop the tears that threatened to fall. These were different though, they were happy tears, yes, he’d just had to relive what had happened to Izzy but there was something else that he couldn’t shake. That being the fact that he still had some family left, not by blood, but family nonetheless and for him that meant more than anything. He had Magnus, he had Jace, he wasn’t completely alone.

* * *

“Are you ready to head home?”

Alec jumped slightly at the sound of Magnus’ voice, he’d been sat in the quad of the school for the past half hour, completely absorbed in his whole thoughts and what finding Jace again actually meant for him. One thing was certain though, the disbelief he’d initially felt had quickly worn off and been replaced by a feeling of happiness that was so different to any other positive emotion that he’d felt in ages.

“Magnus,” Alec breathed, failing at hiding the grin spread across his face, “I’ve found my brother.”

Magnus looked at Alec, confused at what he was getting at, from what he’d gathered Alec didn’t have any remaining family left so finding a brother seemed almost impossible. The words weren’t words he expected to hear in the slightest. He blinked quickly and sat down next to Alec on the bench, “You’re going to have to catch me up here Alexander, I wasn’t aware you even had a brother.”

“Jace, he’s called Jace. My parents adopted him soon after he was born, he was only five when our parents died.”

“Jace as in, Jace the quarterback in the football team despite only being a freshman?”

“I think so, how did you know that?”

“I like to be hooked in on things,” Magnus smiled at Alec before wrapping his arms around him, “I’m so happy for you Alec. How do you feel?”

“Like I’m not alone anymore. I have Jace and I have you, more than I’ve had in years.”

Magnus grinned and reached out to Alec’s face caressing his jaw softly, he liked it when Alec was so light-hearted. Most of the time his eyes were weighted with this heaviness that was hard to lift, this afternoon though he was free. For a short moment of time he could forget about his upcoming decision regarding the trial and just focus on something good that was happening. Nothing good ever happened to him, apart from now and he couldn’t help but feel that things might change for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> I hope you are all well and coping well with quarantine if that is something you are doing. I know I'm getting more and more bored as the days go on, but it's for the greater good so we just gotta keep on swimming as Dory would say.   
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and as always, thank you for reading. 
> 
> Amy x


	6. Exposure

Chapter 6: Exposure 

There was an unexpected amount of pressure surrounding going to Jace’s house for dinner, not only was he going to be meeting his Mother, but he was going to have to somehow explain his life without completely killing the atmosphere. He wanted to come across as a normal kid, which meant limited mention of his past and keeping most of the attention on Jace and his Mum. He also needed to look good, which was the problem he was dealing with now.

“Jesus, why do I have no half-decent clothes?!” He exclaimed, throwing off the third t-shirt that he’d put on with holes around the belt line. “This is ridiculous.”

Magnus had been watching the drama unfold for the past half hour and was pretty much over the erratic behaviour Alec was displaying. He looked good no matter what he wore, but what was more irritating was that Alec never cared that much about how he looked, he doubted he spent this long panicking over what to where for their dates. It was obvious that Alec was nervous, and Magnus got that, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly cast aside now that someone new had been introduced into Alec’s life. He also knew how stupid he was for thinking that. He shook the thought from his mind and headed over to his own dresser, rifling through it to find a shirt that wasn’t too ‘Magnus’ that Alec could wear.

“Try this,” Magnus said, throwing him a dark blue button-down shirt with a minimal white blue pattern on it. “I don’t think it has any holes in it. You’ll suit it too.”

“Thanks,” Alec said, putting it on and doing it up. “You’re right, it does look good.”

“You always look good Alexander. I don’t know why you’re so stressed,” Magnus said, walking towards him and putting a hand on his chest. “Do you have time to give me a hug?”

Alec looked at his watch then back at Magnus, “I really need to go Magnus, sorry.”

Magnus stepped back, nodding his head, “Right. Of course, good luck. I’m looking forward to hearing all about it when you get back.”

Alec grinned, “What if it goes terribly, you still want to hear about it then?”

“Yes,” Magnus confirmed, “But, it won’t go terribly so we don’t need to worry about that. You’re incredibly charming Alexander.”

“See you later,” Alec said leaving the room, not wanting to dwell on what was going to happen when it was literally just about to happen, it seemed risky.

Magnus gave Alec a small wave as he walked out of the room, failing to ignore the slightly empty feeling in his stomach that he’d had since his ask of a hug had been rejected. He didn’t think he was a needy person; he’d always been fairly independent when it came down to it, kind of like Alec, but different in ways. Alec knew how to survive on his own because he’d been forced to learn how, if he hadn’t been forced to survive, he’d probably be a lot more reliant on other people. That being said, Magnus wouldn’t change Alec for the world because he liked knowing that he was the only person that he trusted, that he’d be vulnerable in front of. It intensified their bond and made what they had between them seem real. With the arrival of Jace in Alec’s life though, Magnus wasn’t sure if that relationship he had with Alec was going to remain exclusively between the two of him. He knew it was healthy for Alec to open up to as many people as possible, to stop him from exploding when things got too much, but at the same time, he needed someone. He needed to feel special, without his Mum, he was alone too. Yes, he’d made friends at school and yes, he was less likely to explode in the way Alec was prone to, but what he wasn’t sure Alec realised was how much he was relying on him to keep going without becoming a victim of grief.

He lay down on his bed, staring up at the slanted ceiling above him. Unfortunately for him, he’d spiralled, he’d let himself be wrapped up in the ‘what ifs’ and the possibility of being all alone again. Rendering him in a state of hopelessness as his mind wandered down the memories of his mother that he rarely let himself think about.

The first tear came a few minutes later.

* * *

A few hours later and Magnus was grateful that he could hear Alec’s feet running up the stairs before he entered the room. Giving him the opportunity to wipe his eyes and sit up at his desk, preparing himself for whatever was going to happen next. He couldn’t let Alec know that he’d been upset, he didn’t want to ruin his happiness, this was his day after all, so he slapped on a smile and turned around as the door opened.

“How did it go?” He asked.

Alec was beaming as he headed over to Magnus’ bed and sat down on it, clearly full of energy as his feet tapped relentlessly on the floor.

“It was really good. It was so nice to actually be able to catch up with Jace, we’re going to meet up this weekend, I think. His Mum was lovely too, she’s a lawyer you know? She said she’d try to get me some work experience at her firm, which would be really helpful because if I’m going to go for this I could do with some experience. Honestly, Magnus, it was so good.”

“That’s really great Alexander,” Magnus said biting his lip. They were supposed to be going for a walk together at the weekend…

“I know right?” Alec finally breathed for a second before looking at Magnus, noticing the red eyes and slightly defeated expression on his face. “Are you okay?”

Magnus cleared his throat, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” he said, his voice cracking slightly, as he looked away from Alec.

“You’re not,” Alec said, getting up from Magnus’ bed and standing behind him, massaging his shoulder’s gently. “What’s going on?”

Magnus shook his head adamantly, like he was trying to get rid of anything negative inside of him, “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s stupid.”

“Magnus, you help me with everything, let me in.”

Magnus sighed, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes before they rolled down his cheeks. “I just don’t want to lose you.”

“Why would you…” he trailed off, realising what Magnus meant, “…You think I’m going to forget about you because I’ve found Jace?”

“Like I said, it’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” Alec said unfalteringly, “But, it’s not going to happen. How can I prove that to you?” He thought for a second before taking hold of Magnus’ hand and standing him up so that they were face to face. “Does this prove it to you?”

He laced his hands behind Magnus’ waist and pulled him towards him. Not giving him time to answer before connecting his lips with his own in one swift movement. He’d been wanting to kiss him for weeks now, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so, he was falling in love with Magnus, a feeling that was practically unknown to him and a feeling that he didn’t know how to show. He did know something though, that actions can speak louder than words, so finally doing what he’d wanted to for so long seemed like the perfect solution to the doubt that Magnus was feeling.

“Yes,” Magnus whispered, pulling away from him but keeping his hands firmly attached around Alec.

“Then why are you still teary?”

Magnus came back towards him, resting his head on Alec’s shoulder, the warmth of his hands on his waist sending a wave of goose bumps up his spine. “I was thinking about my Mum.”

“You really needed that hug earlier, didn’t you?” Alec replied, planting a small kiss on top of Magnus’ forehead.

“It’s fine Alexander.”

“No, I should have realised.” He moved Magnus away from him, “Get ready for bed, we’re going to have a proper hug and you’re going to tell me all about her, okay?”

Magnus nodded, “I’d like that.”

A couple of minutes later and they were both laying in Alec’s bed, hoping that Hodge wouldn’t do a random late-night check but also feeling brave enough to risk it because at the end of the day they were with each other and that was what mattered. Alec lifted Magnus up, so he was lying in the crook of his neck, his own head resting on Magnus’ as they let themselves sit in silence for a few minutes.

“What was she like, your mum?”

“She couldn’t have been more perfect. She was kind, generous, loving, made the best Sate, but she was also a little bit broken. She was sad most of the time, but she always tried to hide it away from me. I hated her the first few weeks after she died, I couldn’t understand why she’d choose to leave me alone, it took me a while to realise that she didn’t have a choice. She spent her whole life trying to protect me from everything, making my life the best it could be, loving me whole-heartedly… she just didn’t have the energy to make it to the end.”

“She must have been a very special woman Magnus,” Alec said, squeezing him tighter for a moment.

“She was just Mum, but she was _my_ mum, you know?”

“I do. I feel the same about my parents. Everyone tells me they were these great people and I know I just said the same thing to you, but at the end of the day, they were just mum and dad. A good mum and dad.”

“Exactly.” Magnus adjusted himself so his arm was draped across Alec’s stomach, “Have you thought about what you’re going to do about the trial? I know you don’t want to talk about it, but you can’t just ignore it.”

Magnus felt Alec’s body tense up at the word trial. He didn’t want to mention it, but, if they were already talking about quite sombre affairs and it seemed like a fitting time.

“I don’t have to make a decision till Saturday evening.”

“That’s only three days away.”

“I don’t want to think about it.”

“You need to though.”

“I know.” Alec sighed. “When we go on our walk, on Saturday, we’ll talk about it. I can’t brood over it all week, but I know I can’t make the decision on my own.”

“I thought you were meeting up with Jace?”

“No, I wouldn’t cancel my plans with you Magnus, is that why you were so worried?”

“Partly,” Magnus admitted.

“You know there’s two days in a weekend, right?”

Magnus play punched Alec’s stomach causing them both to laugh at the comment that Alec had made. “Saturday it is then. No backing out.”

Alec nodded, “No backing out,” he half whispered, trying to make it seem less real. There was so much weighing on his decision it seemed like it would be impossible for him to make his mind up on what to do. The negatives and positives of each option seemed to be equal on each side, he’d lose no matter what, he always did when it came to things like this.

* * *

The end of the week came around quicker than expected, especially for Alec who usually found the school week lasted twice as long as it actually did but had suddenly started to actually get in the groove of things. He hadn’t made many friends other than Jace and then the people Magnus hung out with, but that meant that in lessons he only had to worry about the work and that he didn’t look like a complete loner when it was lunchtime. It was the first time in years that he had the structure of school completely levelled out, he knew what he was doing, and he didn’t feel completely volatile.

“So guys. You’ve both been here a month now. How’re you finding it?” Matt said.

They’d both been instructed to go to Matt’s office for the last period of the day, which Alec was relieved about because he had PE last period and he still couldn’t help but feel as though he was half as strong as everyone else in his class. Getting out of it was something else to lighten his load, despite his load already being considerably lighter.

“I’m enjoying it,” Magnus said. It was the third meeting with Matt that they had together, and he knew that Alec always waited for him to speak first, out of habit now more than anything else.

“I’m glad to hear it. How is the acapella group going?”

“Excellent!” Magnus exclaimed with the flair of enthusiasm that always appeared whenever he was talking about music, “We have a competition Saturday evening, I think we might have a good chance of placing.”

Alec braced slightly at the thought of Saturday, a day that he was excited about for Magnus’ sake but also dreading considering the conversations that he was going to be having.

“What about you Alec? Any extra-curriculars you’re thinking about?”

Alec shook his head, “No. I just want to get my grades up so I can apply for school, that with the internship I’m doing at the law firm and time spent in the gym is about as much as I can handle.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re getting involved in things outside of school. I know you both have the same friendship group, so I’m assuming you’ll be attending the competition tomorrow Alec?”

“Yeah of course,” Alec said smiling at Magnus. “I’m looking forward to hearing you sing since you refuse to practice in front of me.”

Magnus laughed at the comment, “Well, I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

“That’s a bit defeatist Magnus, you just said you were going to place a minute ago,” Matt interrupted.

“Yeah, I think we will, I just don’t really carry the team, that’s all. There won’t be a lot of me to see.”

“You should put yourself out there more,” Alec suggested.

“And so should you,” Magnus quickly responded teasing him by glaring straight through him.

Matt chuckled at the sparring between the two of them, “Well, I’m glad the two of you get along. It’s good that you have each other to talk too and hang out with outside of school. Unless there’s anything else, you’re free to go.”

“I don’t think there is,” Magnus said smiling and standing up.

Alec nodded his head in agreement and followed suit.

“Okay then, have a nice weekend, and good luck with the competition Magnus.”

“Thanks.”

The two of them headed out of the office and into the parking lot where they could both lower their guards slightly. They wanted Matt to know that they were friends so that they could at least openly hang out together, but they couldn’t appear too close in case he thought there was more going on, so naturally they kept their distance in those meetings. It was 45 minutes of being on edge but now that they were out of the building, they could relax back into each other.

“How are _you_ feeling about tomorrow Alexander?” Magnus asked. He wasn’t stupid, he knew that he was nervous and on edge, he also knew that he wasn’t likely to get an answer now.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

Magnus nodded, “Okay,” he said, kissing Alec on the forehead then taking his hand and squeezing it tightly, “Let’s go back to Idris, steal some crisps and watch movies all evening?”

Alec breathed a sigh of relief, grateful Magnus hadn’t pressed any further, “That sounds perfect.”

“I know.”

The two of them started the walk home. Taking the long way so that they wouldn’t be seen by the Idris Institute bus picking up everyone else and so that they could spend some time together before the living room became crowded with the other children wanting to join them in their movie night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> Hope your are all well. I'm sorry my uploads are a bit sporadic at the moment, quarantine is getting to me in the sense that I can't seem to get in the head space to write. I will finish this fic though! 
> 
> Anyway, as always, thank you so much for reading. 
> 
> Amy x


	7. The Conversation and Other Things

Chapter 7: The Conversation and Other Things 

The weather was unfittingly pleasant for the conversation that was about to unfold between the two of them. The darkness of the topics that they were likely to address didn’t match the heat of the sun cracking through the scattered cirrus clouds and the budding leaves on the trees around them. Winter was well and truly fading away and whilst in most parts of their lives it mirrored the positive changes going on, in this situation it was positively jarring. Making the instigation of the conversation, especially from Alec, even more difficult to instigate because it was only going to heavy the otherwise light and summery vibe around them.

They’d both been holding hands as they walked around the lake in the park close by the Idris Institute, it was about 10:30 in the morning and Stacey was coming round at 12:30 to get Alec’s decision from him. They had two hours left to talk about what Alec would do, bringing it up seemed unfair though, Alec was happy, letting the sun warm him through as he held his boyfriend’s hand because even though they hadn’t explicitly said it, they were definitely boyfriends. Either way, he didn’t want to talk about it, every time it slipped into his mind the deep rooted panic he had did as well, he knew he had to though, he couldn’t put it off for ever, which was why he followed Magnus’s lead as he sat down on a bench in front of the lake.

The lake itself was shimmering from the reflection of the sun, a few ducks walked towards them looking for bread crusts but quickly walked away when they realised, they were out of luck. On any other day at any other time, this would be romantic, the perfect date, but it was this day and at this time which quelled that possibility instantly.

“What are you thinking about?” Magnus asked, picking up Alec’s hand, his own fingers rubbing up and down over Alec’s mount of Venus, hoping it would provide him with some comfort and flexibility to spill his thoughts.

Alec exhaled slowly before moving closer to Magnus. The hand holding was nice, but he needed to be closer to him, to feel the pulse of his heart next to his because if he was calm and steady then maybe he would pass some of that energy on to him as well.

“That I have no idea what to do,” he admitted, “I know I don’t want to go to court, I don’t know if I would survive it… but if I don’t go, I’d be letting people down.”

Magnus nodded knowingly, he knew what the conflict was for Alec, he had done all along, but he also knew that he needed to say it aloud and to work through it himself. “You don’t have to be the ambassador for everyone Alexander. Sometimes you have to put yourself first and that’s okay.”

Alec shook his head, “It’s not as simple as that though. Not when other children are involved, if he doesn’t get proven guilty then he might be able to foster again and do what he did to me to someone else. This is on me, I’m the only one that can stop him.”

Magnus reached over to Alec and wrapped his arm around his waist resting his own head on his shoulder. “You don’t have to be the hero, not all the time, but I can see why you want to be.” He glanced down at Alec’s hand that was shaking every so slightly. “What is it that scares you about court?”

“Defence lawyers.”

“How so?”

“Last time, when I was 14, they made out that I was lying that I’d made it all up, the same happened when I was 12 and testifying. They defend these criminals that have hurt children, the lowest of the low and they make the victims feel like they’re the worst people in the world. I know it’s their job, I know that, but… I already feel like shit, I don’t need that to be validated by anyone.”

“They had you in a courtroom when you were 12?”

“I was behind a screen, but yeah.”

Magnus sat up and looked at Alec dead in the eyes. They were almost the most telling part of him, you could see exactly how he was feeling from one glance into those hazel and gold pools. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Alec groaned and bent down dramatically, resting his head in his hands as he steadied himself before sitting upright again. “I’ve been arrested a lot since I was 14, always for stupid things that shouldn’t really matter, but they’re going to go against my character when I’m up there. Every arrest, every missed day of school or whatever is another piece of ammunition the defence lawyers can use. I’m unreliable. They’ll make out I’m lying, go through my whole life story and rip me to pieces. I don’t know if I can survive that.”

“You know?” Magnus said, massaging the nape of Alec’s neck carefully, knowing that he needed some form of physical contact with him to not break down. “Whatever decision you make, I’ll be proud of you. It’s a big ask to risk everything and go to court, it’ll put a lot of pressure on you and if you do decide to testify, I’ll be right by your side. If you don’t decide to testify, I’ll be right by your side too.”

Alec smiled weakly at Magnus, “I know you will be.”

Alec thought to himself, at the position he was in now and the position he could be in in the future. Right now he had the most support that he’d ever had, Magnus by his side, Luke and Stacey had said they’d be there too, he was in a home that wasn’t dangerous or deprived, he was going to school, he was going to go to college, he had an internship. His life thus far had been a mess, but right now he was on track. Yes, he had a history that was going to find him dragged through the mud in court, but he also had people to get him through it, to talk to, to hold him if things went badly. He’d gone through two court cases before without anyone beside him, surely, he could go through another one now that he had a support team.

“You’ve made your mind up, haven’t you?”

He nodded, “I’m going to testify.”

* * *

The rented-out town hall for the acapella competition seemed to have completely transformed as the pounding music vibrated through the floor and strobe lighting lit up the stage. Bodies were pushed up against each other due to a lack of chairs being put out, the smell of teenage hormones and sweat filling up the room. It felt more like a night club than an acapella competition. Alec didn’t realise how seriously people took these things, either way, it was a welcome distraction from everything else going on. He’d told Stacey that he was going to testify and now he was ready to let his hair down for a few hours, putting off the explosion that was inevitable.

“Alec! Come join us!”

Alec turned around to see Ragnor and Catarina summoning him over. He always felt like he was stealing Magnus’ friends when he hung out with them without Magnus there, but he also knew that he was being stupid by thinking that. Magnus wanted him to like his friends, and he did, it was nice to have people to hang out with other than his boyfriend.

“Have you been to one of these before?” Alec asked once he’d approached the two of them.

“I see you’re an acapella virgin,” Ragnor said with a raised eyebrow, “It’s always quite a shock to see how _lit_ these events are.”

“Just wait till the groups start performing, the crowd goes wild. You think we were watching Beyoncé not some questionable high school acapella performances.”

“Well, it’s certainly a distraction,” Alec said smiling, resting his weight on the metal bars that were in front of the stage. He’d made sure to arrive early enough to get a spot on the front row.

“Everything okay?” Catarina inquired. She didn’t know Alec that well, but she knew him well enough to know that there was always something more bubbling under the surface.

“Yeah,” Alec said, plastering on a smile before remembering that they were supposed to be his friends and that you weren’t supposed to lie to your friends. “Well, no, but they will be. Tonight’s about having fun anyway.”

Ragnor put a hand on Alec’s shoulder reassuringly, “Exactly annnd there’s a party at Simon’s house this evening, he’s on Magnus’ team with him. Are you guys coming?”

“It sounds good, I’ll have to text Hodge though and ask him.”

“Sure thing, hopefully he’s in a good mood,” Catarina said.

“I’m not sure he’s capable of good moods.”

Catarina laughed at the comment then quickly shut up as the lights started to dim and the presenter for the competition came onto the stage. The atmosphere around them instantly intensified as the first act came onto the streets, all wearing what looked like Lycra body suits and weren’t exactly what Alec expected as an appropriate outfit for singing.

“These guys are weird as fuck,” Ragnor whispered in his ear.

Alec could have gathered that himself, even more so as they started moving in a contortionist like way as they sang. It was unnerving rather than entertaining, and he was pretty sure that they weren’t exactly the highest of calibre when it came to this thing.

“Oh shit,” Catarina said looking at her phone in the break between acts.

“What is it?” Alec asked.

“One of Alicante’s members has come down with something. They’ve asked Magnus to take up his part but apparently he’d freaking out.”

“Crap,” Alec said running his hand through his hair, “Where is he?”

Catarina typed quickly on her phone, waiting for a response that seemed to take for ages. Even though he hadn’t heard Magnus sing, he was pretty sure he was more talented than he let on and Alec didn’t want anything to make him think otherwise. He knew that Magnus could do this, that he was talented and could easily take over his teammate’s parts, but he also knew he wasn’t the most confident he’d ever been and that he needed his support if he was going to.

“He’s in the bathroom, backstage,” Catarina said, looking up from her phone.

“Okay,” Alec said giving Catarina a reassuring smile as the next group entered the stage, “I’ll go find him.”

Thankfully it wasn’t too much of a hassle getting backstage to find Magnus, apparently having a school ID pass and just saying you were in the competition was enough, not that the lack of security was something to be thinking about. He just needed to see Magnus.

He knocked on the door of the bathroom stall that was closed. There was no one else inside the room, so he didn’t look like too much of a weirdo by doing so. “Magnus, it’s me. Come out.”

Magnus groaned from inside the toilet, of course someone would have told Alec about what was going on and of course Alec being Alec would come and try and sort things out. “You can’t say anything to change my mind Alexander,” Magnus said, rolling his eyes even though Alec couldn’t see him.

“You really think I care if you get up on that stage or not? All I care is that you’re okay, so let me in, or come out, whatever.”

Magnus sighed and unlocked the door, revealing a tear stained face and puffy cheeks. “I’m not going out there, I’m not a lead singer I can’t just take over.”

Alec nodded, “Okay,” he said calmly, pulling Magnus into him for a hug, “I know you could though,” he waited for a few moments before whispering in his ear, “I also know you want to… you’re just too scared to admit it to yourself.”

“Stop reading my mind,” Magnus whispered back before pulling away from his boyfriend, “Why do I have to be so god damn dramatic about things?” he exclaimed, hastily running his hand through his hair.

“You wouldn’t be you otherwise,” Alec teased. “Seriously though, you should do it. Your talent is immeasurable Magnus Bane and if you want music to be your career then this is a worthy step to take.”

“You’re right, I know you’re right. If things go wrong though…”

“…Then they go wrong, and you can drown your sorrows in cheap alcohol at Simon’s party.”

Magnus laughed at how measured Alec was being at the whole situation, “Will you watch me from the wings?”

“Of course.”

Needless to say Magnus’ performance was outstanding and Alec had never been prouder of anyone in his life. On top of that it was one of the best nights that both of them had in a long time. The Alicante Acapella group came second in the competition which was enough to get them through to the next round, Magnus pulled of his part and had the voice of an angel that carried a bit of edge, and Simon’s party was a place for both of them to fully let their hair down. It was nice to spend a night being carefree teenagers for once and whilst Alec still had the underlying worry about the upcoming trial he knew that he had Magnus right by his side to distract him until it happened and to support him when it did.


	8. Let's Focus On the Good Things

Chapter 8: Let’s Focus on the Good Things 

It was a slow Sunday morning; the way Sunday’s should be a lazy lie in followed by a slow breakfast then back to bed to do nothing with the rest of the day. Perfection. Alec looked over at Magnus who was busy writing in his notepad like he always was, he looked incredibly cute with his furrowed brow and tongue sticking out ever so slightly in concentration, he couldn’t really believe that he was his boyfriend. It was crazy when he thought about it, this time last year he was in one of the worst places of his life and now he’d managed to bag one of the hottest boys he knew and was falling completely in love, things were looking up, which made it a lot harder for Alec to fall into the abyss he usually fell into before court. Magnus was the safety net stopping him from hitting the concrete below and he didn’t even know it.

“What are you staring at?” Magnus said knowingly, a smirk on his face as he woke Alec up from his trance.

“My beautiful boyfriend of course,” Alec responded smoothly, fighting the desire to join Magnus in his own bed. He sighed, a slack genuine smile on his face, “I can’t wait till we’re both out of here and can do whatever we want.”

Magnus grinned at his boyfriend, “I didn’t know you were so horny Alexander.”

“I didn’t…” he stopped himself, “You know what I mean.”

“I know _exactly_ what you mean.”

“Know who’s the horny one?”

There was a tap on the bedroom door, a tap that the two of them had become familiar too, especially on Sunday afternoon’s when there wasn’t really much to do in the Idris Institute. “Scale of one to ten, how stressed are you?” Magnus asked Alec quickly before answering the door. He knew that the flirting and banter was partly a cover up from the nerves Alec was feeling about the court case and he didn’t want to put him under too much pressure to act, especially when five-year-olds somehow had the ability to see right through you.

“I’m fine, let her in.”

Magnus headed to the door and opened it, revealing Madzie who was carrying one of the house iPads, a large piece of poster board and a backpack full of coloured pens. “Can you help me with my project?” she asked innocently, “I asked Hodge, but he was busy and told me to ask one of the older kids.

“Oooh, Alexander it looks like this one’s for you. Madzie, did you know that Alec is super duper clever? It’s his superpower.”

“Erm, I wouldn’t go that far Magnus.”

“You have a superpower!” Madzie exclaimed, excitement all over her face.

Alec glared at Magnus for dropping him in it, “I think my superpower can definitely help you with your project Madzie, what’s it on?”

“A presentation on any president we want,” Madzie said, “Show me your superpower Alec, please, please, pleassseeee!”

“65498 – 26753 equals…” Magnus said dramatically.

Alec continued to glare at Magnus whilst Madzie jumped up and down in front of him excitedly, “38,745,” he said casually.

“How do you know it’s right??!”

“It always is,” Alec said confidently.

“That’s soooo cool!” Madzie said.

Alec softened slightly, smiling at the little girl, “Come on, let’s get this project done. Magnus, don’t think you’re getting out of this, you’re more creative than me so you can make it look pretty.”

“Fine,” Magnus said, sitting next to Alec on the floor where him and Madzie were now sat, “After all, I am very pretty, aren’t I Madzie?”

Madzie giggled at the comment as she lay out her markers.

* * *

Later that afternoon and Alec and Magnus had headed to a local café to meet up with Ragnor and Catarina, although as usual they were early and Ragnor and Catarina would be late which meant that they had some time to spend together away from the noise of the Idris Institute. The café had a typical Sunday afternoon vibe, moderately busy with relaxed background conversations that made it easy for the two of them to sit back and enjoy the afternoon with the freedom that they could talk about whatever they wanted.

“Did Stacey say when the court case was going to be held?” Magnus asked taking a sip of his iced coffee.

“Friday,” Alec said doing the same before exhaling slowly, “School is going to be torture this week.”

“You could always go sit in Matt’s office?”

“I don’t want to be _that_ kid.”

“What do you mean, _that_ kid?”

Alec shook his head stubbornly, “Let’s focus on the good stuff,” Alec directed, “I’ll save my breakdown for when it’s unpreventable.”

“That’s not healthy Alexander.”

“The good stuff, Magnus, come on.”

Magnus smiled weakly at Alec, he wasn’t sure if he trying to protect him or himself but either way it seemed like a waist of time. He’d seen Alec at his worst, at the police station, the night after he was asked to testify, and he knew that some sort of out pour was due in the next few days. He also knew that Alec wouldn’t talk to him until he was ready or until it was too late, so whilst Alec’s refusal to talk was pointless so was Magnus asking him to talk. If he could easily distract him by focusing on the ‘good stuff’ then he was going to give that a go.

“So, what ‘good stuff’ do you want to focus on?”

“I don’t know, how about how incredible your voice is for a start?”

Magnus’ cheeks instantly blushed, not expecting quite such an obvious compliment from Alec who was usually a little more subtle. “I wasn’t that good, I messed up the part-”

“-Shush,” Alec said commandingly, “You were perfect, you should make a YouTube channel and post covers or something.”

“Alexander, I am not making a YouTube channel.”

“What about auditioning for X Factor?”

“No chance,” Magnus said grinning.

“What’re you talking about?” Catarina said as herself and Ragnor slid into the booth chair opposite the two of them, “It sounds interesting.”

“Oh, I’m just saying how Magnus should start a YouTube channel, show off his talents.”

Ragnor raised his eyebrow at the comment, “I’m sure you know all about Magnus’ talent’s Alec.”

“Your mind is always so predictably in the gutter Ragnor,” Alec teased.

“What are you doing after this Alec, going to the gym?” He quipped back.

Alec’s cheeks flushed red, “Not anymore,” he said, trying to regain the upper hand of the competition.

Magnus laughed at the banter between two of his favourite people in the world, resting his chin on Alec’s shoulder in adoration of the boy he was falling in love with, his eyes not failing to hide any of the love that he was feeling.

“So doe eyed,” Catarina said, almost sounding like she was just as much in love with the two of them as they were with each other.

“I’m just happy, that’s all.”

Alec smiled and planted a kiss on the top of Magnus’ head, “Me too,” he said, because he was happy most of the time, especially when he was with Magnus.

“Okay, I’m gonna go get a drink before I throw up,” Ragnor said standing up, “What do you want Catarina?”

“Tea please,” she said trying not to laugh at Ragnor’s awkwardness. “So what are you two up to for the rest of the evening?”

“Mentally preparing ourselves for another week of school?” Magnus said, sitting up properly but making sure his hand was resting gently on Alec’s leg.

“School isn’t that bad, is it?”

Alec looked over at Magnus, making sure he wasn’t going to let her know why this week was worse than others, “School has never been good though, has it?”

Catarina smiled, “I guess not,” she said. It was clear there was something else going on this week, but she wasn’t going to intrude, whatever it was it was their business and they’d tell her when they were ready. “Anyway, I have this medics society conference on Thursday, so I won’t be in. Thought I’d let you know in advance because I know you’ll miss me more than anything.” 

“Modest as well,” Alec whispered into Magnus’ ear making him laugh.

“Hey! What was that!” Catarina exclaimed.

“Nothing,” Alec replied innocently.

He looked over at Magnus, who’s eyes were lit up with the magic that so often filled him, he liked that he could be the one to make them look like that, that he could get rid of any dullness that was in them when he was sad with a simple kiss or joke or smile. He was his person just like Magnus was his and it was an honour to be that.

Ragnor came back with the drinks and sat back down, sighing dramatically, “I have so much homework to do,” he stated.

“It’s Sunday, what have you been doing all weekend?” Alec asked.

“I don’t know, definitely not my homework.”

“Well, it’s on your head.”

“Not all of us can be in AP classes Alec Lightwood.”

“Oh come on, you’re the best writer in the school, it’s not like you’re unintelligent.”

Ragnor smiled at Alec before directing his attention to Magnus, “I can see how you fell for him, he’s incredibly charming.”

“That,” Magnus said, “And he’s very easy on the eye,” he said sitting up street and pecking him on the lips, “He’s also a great cushion, a great listener, a great homework helper, kind, caring, loving…”

“…Okay stop now Magnus,” Alec said, practically unable to control himself.

“He’s also very bashful,” Magnus finished.

Alec looked down at Magnus and snaked his arm around his waist, holding him against his body as the conversation moved to the next acapella competition and whether they were going to go to the football match Thursday afternoon or not. Alec quickly zoned out, his hand still around Magnus’ waist as he let himself only be partially present for the rest of the afternoon. Whilst he would have liked to stay upbeat forever, he knew that he’d be pushing himself too far if he did so he let himself drift off. He’d stay there forever in his partial state of engagement as long as Magnus was beside him and he knew that Magnus didn’t mind leading the conversation for the both of him. It gave him time to reflect in a safe environment, a welcome contrast to what he was used to.

“Alec,” Magnus reached up to his shoulder and shook him gently, “Alexander.”

“Huh?” Alec said as he was brought back to reality, “Sorry, I was in my own world then,” he blurted out, trying to correct his lack of engagement in the conversation as he noticed the slightly confused expression on Ragnor and Catarina’s faces.

“Should we head back?” Magnus asked, aware that Alec was slipping into his own thoughts more than he could handle in a group situation like they were in.

“Not if you don’t want to. We still have a few hours before dinner.”

Magnus shook his head, “I have an assignment to finish off anyway,” he lied, “You can stay if you want though,” he said, knowing that if Alec made the decision himself he wouldn’t feel like he was ruining Magnus’ day, which of course he wasn’t.

“No, I’ll head back with you,” Alec said forcing a smile as they manoeuvred their way out of the booth, “See you tomorrow,” he said to Ragnor and Catarina.

The two of them walked out of the café, Magnus reaching up to drape his arm around Alec’s shoulders as they went. “You okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Alec whispered, lifting Magnus’ arm off him and holding his hand in his own, “I’ll be fine,” he repeated again.

“Just focus on the good stuff.”

“I think I underestimated how hard it was to do that.”

Magnus nodded, “I could have told you that, but you needed to figure it out for yourself.”

“I know,” he sighed slowly, “I have a feeling something’s going to go terribly wrong.”

“Well,” Magnus said, giving his hand a squeeze, “If it does, I’ll be right there next to you.

“What if that’s not enough?”

Magnus swallowed the lump in his throat that those words made appear, it hurt to think that he didn’t think he would be enough but there was some truth in it. Magnus couldn’t fix or help everything, most things, yes, but sometimes being loved isn’t enough to pull you out of the darkness. They were both astute enough to know that.

“If it’s not enough, we’ll find a way. You always find a way Alexander.”

Alec nodded, trying to snap himself out of it, “Come on, let’s get back and watch a comedy or something. It may be hard to focus on the good stuff but if we’re being forced to laugh then maybe we have a chance.”

Magnus smiled, “We’ll give it a go,” he said, kissing him on the cheek before pausing for a second… “You know I love you, don’t you?”

Alec stopped walking for a second his heart racing as the words processed in his mind, it had been 10 years, it had to have been, since anyone had told him that they loved him. The words were unfamiliar in his ears, unexpected because how could anyone possibly love him when he was in this state of partial awareness in his own mind.

He turned to face Magnus, “Do you really mean that?” he asked, his eyes deadly serious as though they were interrogating Magnus.

“Of course I do Alexander,” Magnus said unflinchingly, he had a feeling that Alec would find this hard to believe, “More than anything.”

Alec nodded, “I don’t know what to say? Why would you? I don’t get it.”

“You heard me in the café, I’m obsessed with you in the best way possible.”

Alec smiled weakly, “I just can’t remember the last time anyone told me that, I-I don’t know how to respond.”

“You don’t have to respond in anyway,” Magnus said holding Alec’s hands tighter.

“I do,” Alec said, nodding his head slowly, “Because I love you too… I was just too afraid to say it.”

Magnus reached around Alec’s waist and pulled him towards him, hugging him tightly in the middle of the street, their bodies as intertwined as they could be whilst standing up. “Never be afraid to tell me how you feel because I’ll probably feel the same.”

“I love you so much,” Alec repeated.

“To the moon and back.”

“To the moon and back.”

Needless to say the rest of the evening was easier to handle. Three simple words were enough to provide a comfort blanket for the next few hours, repeating them over and over reminded Alec of who he had by his side and told Magnus that his feelings were equally as reciprocated. They could be themselves with no qualms, because they both knew that their love was unbreakable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> I hope you are all doing well! Sorry I'm being so all over the place with these updates motivation/mind set to write is struggling to come to me at the moment, but we're getting there! 
> 
> Thank you all for reading. 
> 
> Amy x


	9. The Courtroom

Chapter 8: The Courtroom 

He knew that he looked a mess, that it was going to be an effort to come across as a remotely functional human being. All morning he’d been plagued with the urge to vomit and an aggressive shaking of his hands that he couldn’t quell, as for last night, as to be expected he’d barely slept, despite Magnus’ arms wrapped around him. Thankfully, Hodge had allowed Magnus to come with him to court, he knew that they were friends, and he’d figured Alec could do with the support. Stacey had picked them up from the Idris Institute at 8:30 in the morning and driven them to the courtroom where they met Detective Garraway, all Alec wanted to do was hold Magnus next to him, but they both knew that would be risking too much.

“You’re going to be alright kid,” Detective Garraway said as they walked down the corridor and through to the courtroom.

“I’m not sure about that,” Alec admitted, the colour draining from his face as they sat down in the aisles.

“Deep breaths remember,” Magnus said, casually brushing his hand against Alec’s so no one would see but hoping that it would provide some sense of comfort to him, “You’re Alec freaking Lightwood, you can do this.”

Alec smiled weakly at Magnus, jolting slightly as the judge and jury entered the room. He stood up slowly, steadying himself on the row in front, it was going to be a long, hard day and it was going to take a tonne of effort to get through it.

The case was introduced as the prosecutor and defence attorneys gave their statements about what had happened and why ‘Mr Richardson’ was on trial. Alec swiftly tuned out, he knew exactly why he was on trial and he knew that he was going to have to relive why once today, he didn’t need to hear it twice. He focused on the floor and the soft touch of Magnus’ hand on his back, Luke was sat on the other side of him and was too focused on what was going on to notice how close together they were sitting.

“Does the prosecutor have any witnesses?” The judge asked.

The words sounded like fire in Alec’s ear as he waited for his name to be called, this was it, his moment to bring Mr Richardson down, but also his moment to be ripped to shreds.

“Yes your honour, I’d like to call Alexander Lightwood to the stand.”

Alec froze for a second before receiving a gentle nudge from Luke. He stood up awkwardly, walking past Luke and Stacey before heading up to the stand. He looked around the room, his mouth dry and his hands shaking as he took everything in, the jury sat along the right of the court room, opposite to where he was sat, the judge slightly behind him and Mr Richardson, right in his line of sight. He hadn’t seen him since the morning before he ran away, he’d almost forgotten what he looked like but everything was coming back to him now in the most unpleasant way possible. He looked down at the podium in front of him, trying to level his breathing, sort himself out so his voice would be more than a squeak then looked back up, his eyes fixing on Magnus who was giving him a look of encouragement that settled him for the moment. He looked back at the prosecutor who was also smiling at him encouragingly, they’d had a conversation earlier in the week and she’d explained what she would be asking him about. That was part of the issue though, the prosecutor wanted him to tell the jury about his life so far, about what happened with Mr Richardson, making him relive everything all over again which was hard enough. Then the defence would swoop in and try to discredit him. Both angles were going to be painful to endure, but he knew he had to get through it. He took a deep breath and swore on the bible.

* * *

“Mr Lightwood, Alec,” the prosecutor said smiling at him, “Thank you for coming in today, I know this is a difficult thing for you to do.”

“You’re welcome,” Alec said, levelled, composed, he could do this, this part was just his history as long as he didn’t let it own him, he could be fine.

“Alec, it says here that you entered the care of the child protective services when you were 8 years old, almost 10 years ago, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“This was because your parents, Maryse and Robert Lightwood were killed in a car accident?”

“Yes.”

“Could you tell the jury what happened after that?”

Alec rested his hands on the podium, trying to stop them from shaking. “Well, me and my sister Isabelle, Izzy, were fostered by a family for three years, after that we moved to a children’s home, then we were split up, I went to another foster family, so did she,” he paused, his voice shaking, “When Izzy was 13 she fell into the wrong crowd and… she erm, she died.” He reached up quickly and wiped the tear from his eye, he couldn’t think about Izzy without getting upset because he knew that if he had been there with her he would have protected her, stopped her from falling down the route of drugs and alcohol.

“Take your time.”

“Sorry, after that I went back into another care home then I ended up being fostered by Mr Richardson,” he didn’t dare meet him in the eye as he said his name, not wanting him to have any power over him.

“Tell me Alec, how many times have you been in court?”

“This is my third time.”

“That’s a lot of court cases for a 17-year-old. Let me look,” the prosecutor looked in her files somewhat dramatically, finding the piece of paper she was looking for, “Here we go. The first time, you were 12, an eyewitness for a sexual abuse case against one of the girls in the children’s home you were in, the second time you were 14 the victim of a case of neglect. Does that sound right to you?”

“Yeah.”

“Alec, you have been handed a terrible set of cards, you’ve been through so much that it almost feels cruel to ask you about the circumstances that you lived in with Mr Richardson and what caused you to run away, but, would you mind doing so?”

Alec sighed and ran a hand through his hair, “Mr Richardson kept me in the basement, there was a mattress and a wash basin but that was it. Occasionally he gave me food but not often and he sent me to school enough to make it seem unsuspicious, I guess. He’d be drunk most nights, that would be when he’d come down to the basement and… beat me, he liked the belt the most. He had whipped me the day I ran away, but he was so intoxicated that morning that he forgot to lock the door, once I heard him leave, I took my chance and left. He shouldn’t be able to look after children.”

“Thank you, Alec, that’s all your honour.”

Alec breathed out slowly, taking a sip of water as the defence attorney made their way towards him. This was where things became painful, where he would have to quell his anger, pretend that he was normal and that he was level-headed enough to testify.

Magnus watched Alec intently as he stood behind the podium, he’d never seen him look so pale before, as though he could collapse at any second. He’d done well with the prosecutor’s questions, it was harrowing the way he told his story with limited emotion attached to it, like he was telling someone else’s and not his own, until he’d mentioned his sister where he’d broke down. Looking at him objectively it was exactly the kind of thing that swayed the jury to his side, they believed him and hopefully the defence wouldn’t destroy that for him. He smiled at Alec as they briefly made eye contact, giving him a thumbs up, hoping that it was enough to get him through this next line of questioning. He wanted Mr Richardson in jail just as much as anyone did.

“Mr Lightwood how are you today?” the defence started, a tall man with a cold face, clearly completely unempathetic of the witness he was questioning.

“I’ve been better,” Alec said honestly.

“Mr Lightwood, I have a question for you, would you say you were a good citizen?”

Alec swallowed, the question was cryptic and difficult to answer correctly, “I try to be,” he said, hoping it was enough to move the defence on.

“Now, that’s all well and good, but I have here a list of the times you have been involved with the police, some way or another… it comes to six times, does that sound correct?”

Alec nodded, “It could be.”

“Objection your honour, two of those six times are related to the sexual abuse and neglect cases that my client was involved in.”

“Noted,” the judge said, “Carry on.”

“So, you have been involved with the police four times Mr Lightwood. Let me see, your first offence was shop lifting, then you got in a fight with someone on the street resulting in you hitting a police officer, the third offence, oh look, another fight, and then finally, on the evening you supposedly ran away from Mr Richardson’s care, you were arrested for shop lifting. What do you have to say about these claims?”

Alec chewed on his lip nervously, “The first time I was arrested for shop lifting, I was hungry, I hadn’t been fed in days, I was just hungry, but I knew it was wrong.”

The defence attorney nodded, “That’s all well and good, but a crime is a crime. I doubt you have as a worthy explanation for the two fights you got into?”

“You’re right, I don’t,” he paused, “There was a period of my life, after Izzy died, where I was angry at the world from taking everyone, I ever loved away from me. I got into fights, I was stupid, but I’m better than that now.”

“But then you went and stole a loaf of bread the night you ran away?”

“I was hungry and scared, I had nowhere to go. I wouldn’t have survived the night otherwise.”

The lawyer paced in front of him, “Interesting, you see, I believe you would have survived the night if you’d just stayed put. How can we be sure that you’re telling the truth, that Mr Richardson beat you when you’re so clearly susceptible to fighting anyway. Perhaps it was the other way round, perhaps you were the one attacking Mr Richardson and he was simply defending yourself.”

“That’s not true,” Alec said, his voice barely a whisper, “I was too weak, I didn’t have the strength to defend myself.”

“On top of this, as you said, Mr Richardson was still sending you to school, where you had all the opportunities in the world to tell someone what was supposedly going on, why wouldn’t you tell someone Mr Lightwood?”

“Because adults never believe kids like me, either that or they don’t care.”

“I don’t know if that’s true, look around you, there’s a whole team of adults that seem to care about what happens in this case.”

Alec stayed quiet.

“That’s all, your honour.”

* * *

Alec practically ran out of the courtroom as soon as he could, his frustration needing to be released as soon as possible, he headed into the bathroom, his hand instinctively punching the wall, blood pouring down his wrist as he punched it again and again, he wanted out, he didn’t care anymore, he’d done his part.

“Alec! Stop it, just stop it!” Magnus exclaimed, running in behind him and grabbing both of his arms, trying to pull him away but knowing that Alec was twice as strong as he was and wasn’t thinking rationally at all.

“I fucked it, I fucked it, I fucked it!” Alec said, fighting against Magnus’ grip and slipping away.

Magnus gritted his teeth and opened the bathroom door, “Detective Garraway!” he called, “I can’t stop him!” he said desperately.

Luke entered the bathroom, grabbing hold of Alec, just like Magnus had but his height and strength made controlled the boy, stopping him from hurting himself anymore than he already had.

“Breathe kid, breathe,” Luke said, waiting for Alec to calm himself down.

“I can’t go back in there,” Alec said, tears streaming down his face.

“I know,” Luke said, “Can I let go of you now?”

Alec nodded and looked over at Magnus with a look of desperation that made it hard to ignore. Fuck it Magnus thought to himself as he walked over to Alec and hugged him, despite Luke’s presence, it didn’t have to look romantic anyway.

“I’m going to go tell Stacey you’re not going in, we should get you checked out anyway Alec, that hand’s probably broken,” Luke said. Magnus and Alec were clearly more than friends and it had been amusing to watch them try and hide that from him, but he also wasn’t going to be the person to give up their secret. Both of them needed each other and after seeing Alec alone for so long, he was happy that he’d found his person, maybe he could even give himself credit for putting them together in the holding cell.

“You did good, you need to know that Alexander,” Magnus said, massaging the nape of Alec’s neck.

“They made me out to be a criminal.”

Magnus shook his head, “They looked like the criminals. It came across as though they were hounding you, I guarantee the jury is on your side.” He released Alec from his old and picked up his hand, “Does it hurt?”

“Yeah,” Alec breathed out slowly, “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”

“Don’t be… I’d rather you let it out then kept everything bottled up.”

“I’m just glad it’s all over.”

Magnus smiled, “Me too,” he said, kissing Alec gently, “Come on, let’s get this hand sorted.”

“Hospitals, another of my favourite places.”

Magnus laughed, “They will be now you’ve got me.”

“What are you planning on doing?” Alec asked suspiciously.

“Nothing, I’m just trying to put you at ease.”

“I see…”

The two of them headed out of the courthouse, Alec nursing his hand with Magnus walking beside him. The pressure of being in court slowly dissipating into another distant memory as they focused on being present in the moment, just the two of them… with Luke walking a few feet behind of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Hope you are all well. This is the penultimate chapter of #TFWFfic, I hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Thanks for reading, 
> 
> Amy x


	10. Everything's Coming Up Roses

Chapter 10: Everything’s Coming Up Roses 

1 Month Later 

It was a pleasant day, the sun was warm, flowers had long since started to bud, the trees were green, and everything was on the right tracks. For the past month Alec and Magnus had been able to focus on themselves and each other entirely with no worries about the past or the future to distract them from what really mattered. Of course, there was slight pressure about college and what would happen once school ended but it was trivial compared to everything else that the two of them had been through. They were going on dates in the city, working on homework together, watching sports games at school together all whilst maintaining a feeling of happiness that was finally becoming familiar to them both.

Magnus looked over at his boyfriend. The past month had transformed him. His hazel eyes with their flecks of gold were laced with happiness rather than the anxiety and worry that they had been when they first met. He’d become stronger, toned and muscular, muscles that wrapped tightly around him in warm hugs making him feel safe. His injuries had either healed completely or were on their way to being, both physically and mentally. He was still the same person that he was before, but he was capable now of being the person that he wanted to be, the version of himself that was carefree and focused on things that teenagers should be focused on… like flirting with his boyfriend as much as possible.

Alec couldn’t help but notice Magnus looking at him as though he was a piece of meat that he wanted to devour at any second but also wasn’t completely against not allowing him to do so. He grinned to himself and took hold of Magnus’ hand, leading him to their favourite bench in Central Park and pulling him towards him.

“You know you can’t look at me like that, don’t you?” Alec said, biting his lip seductively.

“You know you can’t bite your lip like that, don’t you?” Magnus responded, his voice cool, crisp, assertive, knowing exactly what was coming next.

Alec reached up, cupping Magnus’ jaw with his hand and pulling him towards him before stopping suddenly, “Maybe I should make you wait,” he teased. He manoeuvred his free hand to Magnus’ sacrum, tracing his fingers gently, knowing exactly how it made Magnus feel.

“You’re going to be the death of me Alexander Lightwood,” Magnus breathed out slowly, “Just kiss me already you moron.”

Alec’s serious expression of seduction cracked as he realised he’d successfully managed to turn Magnus into a complete mess, “Anything for you,” he said pulling his jaw towards him and planting his lips firmly on top of him.

That was another thing that had changed, their kisses. Previously they had been for comfort, reassurance that the other person was right their beside them to make everything feel a little bit better, but now they had a different meaning. They were a sign of regularity, of teenage hormones of happiness and familiarity with one another. In some ways they were lighter, less burdened by their past, but that didn’t make them any less meaningful because whilst they weren’t full of any present burden, they were a signal that they got through it all. They had time to make them longer, more detailed, more sexual and they would stay at it all day if they could, just like they should.

“I have a surprise for you,” Alec said, pulling away from Magnus.

“You do?”

Alec nodded, his slightly crooked smile never leaving his face. “Catarina’s parents are out tonight, and Catarina is going to that concert with Ragnor, she said we could camp out in her basement… undisturbed of course.”

Magnus raised a suspicious eyebrow at Alec, “Are you suggesting what you think I think you’re suggesting Alexander?”

Alec moved closer to Magnus, putting a hand on his boyfriend’s leg and squeezing it tightly, “I’m suggesting we spend a night together and we see what happens.”

“There’s no pressure, we’re only seventeen, if you want to wait until we’re older…”

“…Let’s just go with the flow. If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t,” Alec ran his hand through his hair, “It will be nice to be able to share a bed without the fear of Hodge walking in anyway.”

“Well, that’s certainly true.” Magnus looked up at Alec’s eyes, matching his gaze for a moment before breaking it. “I’m going to have to get going, spontaneous practice remember?”

“I remember, I’m going to catch up with Jace anyway.” 

“Great, what time should I meet you tonight?”

“7pm, is that okay?”

“That’s perfect.”

Alec smiled as Magnus got up and headed in the direction of the nearest subway, watching him as he walked away, knowing how annoyed he would be that his shirt was now untucked from his pants. He quickly pulled out his phone and sent a text letting him know. Magnus turned around and grinned at him, tucking his shirt back in as he continued to walk away. Alec liked that he knew these things about Magnus because he knew that Magnus knew those kinds of things about Alec.

* * *

Catarina’s basement had transformed into a scene from a romantic comedy. Alec had roped Jace into helping him cut out hundreds of tissue paper hearts and flowers whilst he’d prepared the snacks that he had in mind for the evening. It was perfect, it was exactly how it should have been, but Alec still couldn’t help but feel incredibly nervous. This was the first time that they were free for a whole night to do whatever they wanted to do, it could be the first time that they’d been properly naked in front of each other, the first time that they might have sex. He wanted it to be magical and special but he also wasn’t entirely sure he was ready, sex seemed vulnerable and Alec was finally at a point where he no longer felt vulnerable, it was mixed with so many different emotions that he wasn’t sure what he wanted exactly or where the night would go.

“Alec, dude, calm down,” Jace said, putting a hand on his shoulder reassuringly, “You and Magnus are perfect for each other, this night is going to go perfectly.”

Alec nodded, “Yeah, I’m sure it will,” he said, taking a handful of hearts from Jace and scattering them over the white duvet that was set up on top of an airbed. He hadn’t told Jace about the actual plans for the night and he wasn’t going to, it wasn’t something that he needed to know. “Can you grab the strawberries from the fridge?”

Jace nodded and headed up the stairs to the kitchen as Alec flustered downstairs in the basement. He’d never seen Alec so het up, he understood wanting to make things perfect for his boyfriend, he wanted to do that for his own girlfriend, but Jesus Christ the boy was stressed.

“It’s quarter to, I should probably make myself scarce,” Jace said, putting the plate of chocolate covered strawberries on the coffee table.

“What if he doesn’t like strawberries, I’ve never seen him eat a strawberry before,” Alec said, oblivious to what Jace had just said.

Jace rolled his eyes, “Everyone likes strawberries Alec and if he doesn’t, well, it’s not the end of the world is it?”

Alec breathed out slowly, “You’re right, it’s not,” he looked at his watch, “Shit, since when was it quarter to?”

Jace laughed at the comment, “I literally just told you it was quarter to.”

“Oh,” Alec ran his hand through his hair, he had to keep on moving to expel his energy, “You should probably get going then.”

“I also literally just said that too.”

“Right,” Alec said assertively, “Well, thanks for helping.”

“Anytime,” Jace said smiling, “Don’t forget to breathe!”

* * *

Magnus couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with a feeling of luck and happiness as Alec lead him through Catarina’s house and toward the basement. He could tell from the look on Alec’s face that he was hiding something and he couldn’t wait to find out what it was, whatever it was, it would be incredible because it was Alec, and Alec was the most thoughtful person that he knew. He took hold of Alec’s hand as they headed down the stairs to the basement, instantly in awe as he took in the transformation of the room. There were paper hearts scattered everywhere, the tv had been pushed forwards, a makeshift bed set up, snacks, drinks, it was like a love den and whilst it could be deemed cheesy all Magnus could see was how romantic it all was.

“God, I love you so much Alexander Lightwood,” Magnus gasped, letting go of Alec’s hand and snaking it around Alec’s waist, almost daring to lift up his shirt but not wanting to push anything.

“I love you too,” Alec said, kissing the top of Alec’s forehead, “Do you like strawberries?”

“Yeah, why?”

Alec smiled, “I just had this terrible thought that maybe you didn’t.”

Magnus grinned, “I love you so much.”

“Yeah, you’ve said.”

The two of them promptly flopped down on the mattress, laughing as the end of it bounced upwards with their weight, rolling towards each other, their knees touching so from a birds eye view it almost looked as though their bodies were making a heart shape. Alec traced his hand softly along Magnus’ jaw, his eyes never leaving Magnus’ as he let himself be wrapped up in his arms. Magnus smiled, licking his lips gently before moving his own hand underneath Alec’s t-shirt, gently tracing the smoothness of his skin, venturing his hand down to the pant line and back up again.

“Magnus,” Alec gasped, the tension almost too much to bare.

Magnus grinned, “Sorry, no pressure.”

Alec shook his head, “No it’s fine, I like it, I just…”

“You’re not ready for the main event?”

“No,” he paused, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Magnus said, leaning in and kissing him. “You know, I’ve seen your back loads of times before, you don’t need to feel self-conscious, I saw it that day at the police station, remember?”

“I know,” Alec swallowed, then sat up, gaining the confidence to take his shirt off, “Take yours off too.”

“So authoritative,” Magnus teased, but quickly obeyed.

“Let’s just lie here.”

“Sounds perfect.”

And that’s what the two of them did for the rest of the evening. Two bodies, lying side by side but intertwined. Arms wrapped around each other, never letting go, two bodies merging into one soul because that was what they would end up being. It was the perfect beginning to their future together, one sprinkled with happiness and memories that they would never forget because at the end of the day, they were meant for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> This is the final chapter of this fic, I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> Amy x

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! 
> 
> I know I've been for a while and never finished the previous fic I was writing (never say never though), I've basically been in a massive slump and thought that either every idea has been rubbish or ideas that I've had aren't fleshed out enough for a full fic.   
> As about 1/4 of the population (think I read that figure on the news this morning) is now doing some form of social distancing, including myself, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to get back out there with a new fic and start posting it straight away. Of course, it's angsty as usual as I can't seem to shy away from that but I promise as the chapters go on we'll have a lot more of the domesticated supportive boyfriend fluff that I love to write. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading as always leave a comment to let me know what you think because I love to hear what you all have to say. 
> 
> Have a great day and stay safe! 
> 
> Amy x


End file.
